Camp Rock 3: The Reunion
by xMissWhitneyBexx
Summary: Seems like everyone is back at Camp one way or another with secrets, hatred for each other and old habits. Can the gang just stop and listen to the music before it's too late for them all?
1. Brown's Entourage

**This idea has been bugging me for ages and I just wondered what it would be like if there was a third Camp Rock where all the characters came back with secrets? Below, I will write the characteristics of the main characters who will be featured in this fic. Enjoy and stay cool, love Bex.**

 **Mitchie Torres: 24, famous singer and Caitlyn's BFFL.**

 **Caitlyn Gellar: 23, Mitchie's music producer and BFFL.**

 **Shane Gray: 27, failing solo artist with a new band and Brown's manager at CR.**

 **Nate Gray: 24, aspiring solo artist and womaniser.**

 **Jason Gray: 29, washed up singer and married father of one and possible successor to Brown.**

 **Brown Cesario: CR owner, thinking of retirement.**

 **Dee La Duke: CR head manager, hoping to be Brown's possible successor.**

 **And if I consider adding others like Sander, Barron, Tess, Peggy, Ella and Lola, I'll put their characteristics in the chapter after they are introduced.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Mitch, we're nearly there!"

Mitchie sighed at red haired best friend and bit the side of her cheek.

"I can't wait to see Brown," Caitlyn continued, tying her newly dyed red hair into a high ponytail. "And can't forget your mom. I missed her cheese burgers."

Mitchie put on a smile at the mention of her mother. "I missed her a lot." she finally said.

Mitchie and Caitlyn had been touring for a whole year and were finally finished with the tour, seeking refuge at Camp Rock where her mother had informed them of her return as head chef at the camp.

"And I also missed the quiet." Mitchie added, to please her friend. "I wonder what Ant is doing right now."

Caitlyn chuckled. "I'm thinking of burgers and late night skinny dipping whilst you're thinking of a certain Spanish hottie. I bet he's fine. We don't need him body-guarding us whilst we're on holiday in an reclusive area!"

Mitchie laughed with her. "You're right but you know..." she said, suggestively. her friend just giggled before sighing heavily.

"What if we see him?"

Mitchie's face paled. "We... We act like adults."

Caitlyn closed her eyes with a sigh as she leaned against Mitchie's arm. "I can't believe he did that to you."

"And I can't believe that he did that to me, too. But, we're grown up now, eh?"

Caitlyn smiled but it faded away when her phone buzzed.

"Who has been texting you all day?" Mitchie asked, with a grin.

Caitlyn laughed it off, silencing her brand new phone. "No one. Probably my grandmother with more lovely cat videos to share!"

"Cait..."

"Seriously, Mitch. It's nothing. My parents have been... contacting me,"

Mitchie gasped, turning to face her friend clearer. "Why didn't you say so?!"

"It isn't that important. I'll talk to them when I'm rea-"

"We've arrived, ladies." The car driver announced.

Mitchie gave Caitlyn a look which meant that their conversation was not over.

They were met with Brown and a guy with his back turned to them at the entrance. Brown spotted their car and grinned, pushing the guy to the side to greet them as they stepped out of the car.

"Girls!"

"Brown!"

"Mitchie, Caitlyn?"

"Shane?" The girls chorused.

Brown grimaced as Dee joined the group.

"Ah! I see that our favourite girls have finally arrived, eh?" she asked, giving them both hugs as they continued to stare at Shane in shock.

"Girls...-"

"You didn't tell us that _Shane_ was going to be here." Caitlyn cut Brown off with a glare.

Brown sighed. "He's one of my managers! I'm sorry!" he said. "I should probably add that Nate and Jason will be joining us."

"What?!" Shane yelled.

Mitchie and Caitlyn stole a glance at each other.

"Hey, Popstar. What's the deal with you and your brothers?" Mitchie asked.

Shane glared at her before replying. "Ever since Connect 3 broke up, we've lost contact. Then suddenly, Golden Boy gets his own solo career that was supposed to be _mine_ and Jason secretly gets married in Vegas and hides the fact that I have a niece!"

"So basically, you have a grudge against them?" Caitlyn asked, with a raised eyebrow.

Shane shrugged. "What's it to you guys?" he retorted.

"Well, I'm not the one who dumped someone in France. On their anniversary." Caitlyn retorted back, stepping towards him.

Mitchie pulled her back and sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Cait, let's just put our luggage in our room then see my mom, yeah?"

Caitlyn gave Shane a look which meant that their little argument was not over. Shane returned her look with a condescending smile.

He watched as the girls left and turned to Brown.

"God, I hate them." he grumbled.

"Well, you did dump one and dye the other's hair green." Dee told him.

Brown chuckled as he watched a limo pull up, making Shane groan.

"And, I hate him!" he said, storming off just as his younger brother got out the limo.

Brown opened up his arms with a large smile.

"Ah, Nate! My favourite nephew."

"Uncle B, Dee." Nate acknowledged, breathing in. "Boy, I missed this dump."

Brown scoffed. "Dump? Son, you're fighting for a share of this, deep down."

"I'm really not," Nate said, clicking his fingers at his personal assistant. "I want my stuff put into Cabin Lyric. Can you handle that, Liam?"

The PA rolled his eyes. "It's _Leon_ and I can."

"Great! Now get me a latte to go with it. No sugar."

Leon sighed and left as Brown folded his arms and shook his head.

"Now, you're a jerk. Is this a phase? I swear it is. I better ask your dear mother one day."

Nate only smirked as he got out his phone and scrolled through his texts. "Is... Caitlyn here?"

"Why would you want Caitlyn? It's not like you two are close any more, eh?"

"And, she hasn't been here since Camp Wars." Dee added.

Nate shrugged. "Just wondering. She sent me a lengthy text last week and... well, I was hoping to see her so we can rekindle our... friendship."

"Rekindle a friendship with a womaniser?" Dee asked with a laugh. "She must be desperate. Wait, no. _You_ must be desperate."

Nate sighed. "Is it so wrong to have a normal girl friend without it being more? I just... miss our dynamic."

"Well, hopefully she turns up." Brown finally said, with a pat. "Now, go and find that poor boy you've frightened."

Nate laughed and headed towards the Mess Hall whilst Brown and Dee waited for their last instructor.

"Are we even sure he's coming?" Dee asked, checking her watch. "I mean, the guy has a kid and a very demanding wife-"

"He's here!"

They watched a Range Rover pull up and Jason exited with a irritated brunette with a baby strapped to her chest.

"Uncle Brown! Dee!" Jason yelled, giving them big hugs. "I missed you guys!"

Brown and Dee chuckled, sharing a look. "We missed you too, Birdy." Dee replied, patting his back.

"Guys, meet Wendy. And our little daughter, Kelly."

"Ah, the family the rest of the family never knew about." Brown joked, shaking Wendy's hand.

Wendy smiled. "Nice to meet you. Sorry to cut this short but Kelly needs a change. Couldn't stop throughout the whole journey and I believe that I have poop on my shirt." she gulped, cringing.

Dee giggled. "Sure! This way, Wendy." she said, leading her to the direction of their cabin.

Jason turned to face Brown with a hesitant look. "Are they both here?"

"Yep. And the girls. So, this year's gonna be nasty." Brown replied.

"Some reunion this is going to be, then."

Brown grinned. "But I hold the power."


	2. Old Times

Mitchie jumped onto her bed and moaned. "I think I'm PMSing."

Caitlyn laughed as she whacked her friend with a random shirt that she was putting away. "If you're PMSing, then I am going to start tomorrow. Great!"

Mitchie giggled, rolling over to face her friend. "I'm glad that we have our room private to ourselves."

"Same." Caitlyn grinned back. "Look, you stay here and I'll go get ice cream for you."

Mitchie smiled. "Thanks, you're the best. If my mom's here by now, tell her I'll see her later."

"Okay."

Caitlyn left the cabin and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jeans shorts.

She hummed a tune of a possible new song and stepped into the kitchen of the Mess Hall.

"Hello? Connie? It's me, Caitlyn!"

She got not reply and shrugged to herself, heading towards the freezer. She grabbed a tub of vanilla ice cream and two plastic spoons before taking her ringing phone from her pocket. She walked out of the kitchen, her focus on her phone and felt herself collide with something.

"Oh, damn! I'm so sorry!"

She looked up and saw Nate who shrugged it off. "It's fine. It was my fault. Wasn't looking where I was going," he replied, holding up his phone.

Caitlyn laughed and held up hers. "Same here,"

"So... How's life been treating you?"

Caitlyn laughed. "Pretty well actually. I'm a music producer now."

"I always knew that you'll become one. Ever since we met at thirteen and you shook my hand and said-"

"Caitlyn Gellar, today camper, tomorrow famous music producer." Caitlyn finished with a smile.

Nate nodded. "Exactly. Do you still sing?" he asked.

Caitlyn raised an eyebrow. "Uh... not really. Anyway, nice chat. Got to go give Mitchie her ice cream."

"Oh, yeah. It's melting by the way."

Caitlyn gasped as she felt the sticky substance run down her hand. "Damn!"

"Here, let me help you." he said, leading her towards the kitchen.

"I totally forgot that it was really hot today." Caitlyn chuckled, placing the ice cream in a mixing bowl and washing her hands.

Nate laughed with her, leaning against the counter as she dried her hands. "So... I nearly forgot to ask you..." he sighed. "Did you send me a crazy long text about meeting up soon?"

Caitlyn's eyes widened as she gasped. "I sent that to you?!"

"Uh..., yes?"

"It was meant for my ex, _Nat_. Nat's been texting me a lot and I finally agreed to meet up in a long winded way. No wonder I got no reply!"

Nate's face fell as his heart clenched a little. Of course, a girl like Caitlyn was unreachable. Plus, she wouldn't want him now following his track record with girls lately.

"Oh, well... I hope you and Nat get that meet up." he mumbled, about to leave.

Caitlyn stopped him. "Nate..., I'm not blind. You really did want to meet, didn't you?"

"Yeah but that doesn't matter because it wasn't meant for me, anyway."

Caitlyn smiled, her eyes twinkling. "How about you and I hang out this summer, just like old times? I missed my best friend."

"Really? You still want to be my friend after everything that has happened?"

The red head nodded with a cheeky grin. "Remember that prank we played on Brown ten years ago?"

"The one where we covered his entire office in bird feathers?"

She deviously nodded with a smirk. "I've seen his new truck..." she sang.

Nate looked at the ice cream. "Give Mitchie her ice cream and join me by the lake in ten."

"Can't wait." Caitlyn giggled, leaving.

"It's a date." Nate whispered after her.

...

"What's made you so happy, ducky?" Mitchie joked, accepting her bowl of ice cream.

Caitlyn blushed. "Nate and I talked. Like, properly talked. Apparently, I sent him the text and not Nat and now we're planning something to pull on Brown."

Mitchie laughed at her best friend's antics. "Not even five minutes and you're going to annoy Brown. Great!"

"Well..., it has to make up for the times I couldn't." Caitlyn replied, making Mitchie roll her eyes playfully.

"How is Nate by the way?"

"He's okay. Not much of the jerk the media play him out to be."

Mitchie raised an eyebrow. "He had three girls on a roll."

"That turned out to be false, actually." Caitlyn replied, sitting next to her friend. "Liza thought that they were together but it was only a lunch date because he felt sorry for her. Beba and he only slept once and she was dating someone behind his back anyway. Holli and he had a one night stand, nothing went on there."

Mitchie bit her lip before taking a bite of her ice cream. "Seems you stalk the guy,"

"He was my best friend. I'm just looking out for him."

"Hmm. I think I'll have a nap after this," Mitchie said.

Caitlyn took this as a sign to leave. "I'll be back later, love you!"

"Love you too. Crazy girl." Mitchie called after her with a chuckle before getting her phone out and texting someone with a smile.

...

"There you are!"

Caitlyn waved at him but was stopped by Shane who bumped into her, sending her onto the ground.

"Watch it!"

Caitlyn looked up at him. "You're the one who bumped into me! Jerk!"

Shane laughed sardonically. "As you can obviously see, I have things in my-"

"You alright, Caity?" Nate cut him off, helping her up.

She giggled and shrugged it off. "I'm as tough as I look. I'm good."

"Yeah, ignore my jerk of a brother." Nate smiled back before glaring at Shane. "Let's go, Caity."

Shane sighed as he watched them leave. In all honesty, he kind of missed his little brother. They hadn't heard from each other in years and it almost pained him to see Nate become the jerk he used to be but he didn't seem to be jerky to Caitlyn at all. That's when he realised that Nate was either playing her or had feelings for her. And he was determined to get to the bottom of it. But first, he had to get rid of the boxes of inflatable balls.


	3. A Little Crush

"NATE! CAITLYN!"

Nate and Caitlyn ran towards the Mess Hall, going through the kitchen door and hiding in the pantry.

"Who knew Brown used the loudspeaker to express his rage with?" Caitlyn asked, sitting beside Nate on the ground.

Nate smiled. "That way he can get henchmen to hunt us down," he replied.

"I missed this. You and me making havoc. But we need to dial it down, we're getting older and meant to be mature."

Nate nodded. "I was your idea but you're right. We should go and apologise before he bans me from coming over for Christmas," Nate grinned.

Caitlyn nudged his shoulder and he got up, helping her up too.

"Let's go, Curly head."

Nate laughed. "I shaved it all off so you have nothing on me, Gellar."

"I'll find something, Gray. Like, Baldy." she smirked, walking passed his humoured face.

They made their way outside towards Brown's office.

When they got there, they found that he was busy with someone with short black gold hair.

"Ah, my troublemakers!" he growled lightly. "I'll deal with you two later. But first, meet my new music producer teacher, Nat Fox."

Nate and Caitlyn's eyes widened as Caitlyn called out, "Nat?!"

...

"Caitlyn's a lesbian?!" Nate asked, storming into hers and Mitchie's room.

Mitchie shot up awake before glaring at Nate.

"What the hell?!"

Nate couldn't have gotten out of there quicker as soon as Nat went over to hug his best friend.

"What do you want?!"

"Nat is here!"

Mitchie's eyes lit up as she got out of her bed. "Nat's here? She's great! Come and meet her."

Nate's confusion grew as Mitchie led him out towards Brown's office again.

Caitlyn was still hugging Nat and jealousy ran through Nate's chest. She had never hugged him once during their time at camp.

"I just needed to see you, Caity-tiger."

That's what he called her!

"I missed you so much!" Caitlyn replied with a large smile.

Nate took the time to watch Nat and Mitchie and Caitlyn interact with each other and glanced at Nat.

She looked like a tomboy with her cropped short black, gold hair and her black tank top with ripped black jeans and worn out Converse. And she looked kind of pretty, he could begrudgingly admit.

Her green eyes landed on him.

"The notorious Nate Gray,"

"Nate Gray and you are?" Nate glared at her.

Nat laughed. "Thought I was introduced before. Probably wasn't listening due to my captivating looks, lover boy. I see the way you look at my girl."

He almost attacked her just for referring to his girl as hers. Why was he feeling so jealous all of a sudden?

"Nat, stop teasing, honey." Caitlyn blushed.

"Uh, Caity? Can we talk for a minute? About a song." Nate quickly said, dragging her towards his cabin.

Caitlyn pulled her arm back. "Wahey, slow down!"

"Sorry." he mumbled, noticing his PA coming out of the bathroom. "You. Out. Now."

Leon rolled his eyes and grabbed his laptop. "Is she your next target? Another one to add to the heap?"

"Choose your next words carefully, there. And meet Caitlyn Gellar, my best friend."

Leon's eyes widened. "Ah, the famous Caitlyn Gellar. I loved how you mixed Mitchie Torres' new album!"

"Oh, thanks! I think you better leave now before Gray loses his head." she giggled, waving the teenager out. "You should really be nice to your assistant! I heard you got through 7 in just three days."

"Sorry. I just... I get stressed lately but I'll be nicer, I promise."

Caitlyn was shocked. He actually listened to her. Maybe the media portrayed him more worse than he actually was.

"Talk. You wanted to talk?"

"Are you a lesbian? That was the Nat you were talking about, right?"

Caitlyn stayed silent before she burst out laughing. "No! Gosh, no! Although she doesn't look bad..."

"Oh. So she's not the Nat you were talking about?"

"No," she assured. "That was Nat Larkin. The boxer?"

Nate winced. Boy, he knew Nat Larkin all right.

"He broke up with me to go back home to England because his dad's dying and he was afraid that if we did the long-distance thing, I'll find someone else so he set me free. He's back in town for a fight and I wanted to see him. But I think that it's best that I texted you instead. I'm not so sure I want to get back together really."

"Why not?" Nate asked, sitting beside her on his bed.

Caitlyn turned to him. "It wouldn't be fair to continue living a lie. I never loved him. I used him to get over someone else."

"Who?" his breath hitched in his throat.

She didn't reply as she leaned closer to him, their eyes shutting close.

"Nate! My baby brother!"

They pulled apart as quickly as a cheetah and Nate forced a smile towards his eldest brother.

"Hey, Jason."

"And who have you got there? Another girlfriend?" Jason asked as he, Wendy and Kelly entered the cabin.

Caitlyn turned and grinned at Jason.

"Caitlyn!" he yelled, hugging her tightly.

"Hiya, Jasey-Poo!"

"You're so pretty! Your hair! I haven't introduced you guys to my wife, Wendy and our daughter, Kelly!"

Wendy sighed. "Take a breath, Jase."

"Nice to meet you!" Caitlyn smiled. "I have to go but I'll see you guys later,"

She got up and hugged Nate and Jason before leaving with a wave to the child in the room.

"Nate's got a little crush," Jason stated, sitting beside his brother.

Nate scoffed. "No, I haven't! We were just... playing Chinese Whispers."

"You hate that game and that was too intimate to be that."

"Seems like you were heading for a sweet kiss," Wendy added.

"Look guys, you don't know me. And you definitely don't know what's going on in my love life so just leave it, yeah?" Nate sighed, leaving.

Jason and Wendy just looked at each other before smiling.

He did have a crush on her.

...

"Nate? What are you doing here?"

Nate looked up and stared at his brother.

"Don't know. My legs brought me here," he replied.

Shane climbed up the rest of the steps of the ladder and sat a metre away from his younger brother.

"This could be the first time in ages where we haven't screamed at each other." he commented.

"Probably," Nate mumbled. "I've had a strange day. Not really in the mood to continue my vendetta against you."

Shane faced him. "Talk to me. We may hate each other but at the end of the day, we're brothers and we will always be stuck seeing each other at family gatherings no matter what."

Nate smiled despite his funk and leaned his head against the wall behind him, bringing his knees to his chest.

"Caitlyn's got me confused. I missed her and suddenly, I feel myself falling harder for her since the first time I saw her when we were thirteen."

"Damn," Shane mumbled.

"I thought she was a lesbian but it turns out that they were just friends and her friend shares the same name as her ex who is a famous boxer who threatened to kill me once when I scratched his car by accident and..."

Shane stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.

"Why am I even telling you this?" Nate sniffed, looking away. "You're probably thinking that I'll break her heart like I did when I went off with Dana."

"I'm in no position to judge, bro. I dumped Mitchie on our third anniversary in Paris then dyed Caitlyn's hair green the day before her sister's wedding."

Nate's eyes widened in shock. "I guess we're really Grays. Who knew that we would end up like Dad? Seems like Jase had a lucky escape being the innocent one out of us. But then again, he got married to a girl who's practically a stripper and got her knocked up."

"You noticed that too?" Shane smirked. "There I thought I was the only one who hated Wendy. What kind of name is Wendy anyway?"

Nate laughed. "I missed this, stupid."

"Missed this too, jerk."

Shane stood up.

"You gonna be all right?"

Nate nodded. "Go and annoy Brown or someone and tell him I take the blame for the prank. Caitlyn deserves a break from discipline. Did you hear what she did to Taylor Swift?"

"Oh, yeah. That was awesome. Thank God for ex-friends. Ever since I broke up with Taylor she became a complete freak."

"See ya,"

Shane nodded and climbed down the ladder. Nate down, two more to go.


	4. Losing Ourselves In Dreams

The next day, Shane found Nate by the lake, strumming his guitar.

"Better,"

Nate jumped and looked up with a soft glare.

"Thanks," he replied with a sigh.

"Now what's up?" Shane asked.

Nate shook his head. "Just... Remember how it felt when our old label didn't let us play our sound? It feels like that. Now especially Caitlyn's in my life again."

Shane smiled and nudged his shoulder. "Someones lovestruck then. Just tell your boss and I'm sure he will consider it. That's how it worked last time, especially with your professional charm or have you lost that?"

Nate hung his head. "I lost myself, Shay..." he whispered. "I don't even know who I am anymore."

"Trust me, I know exactly how you feel." Shane replied, inwardly grinning for his brother's use of his pet name.

"I just and I'm sure that Caitlyn's the answer to everything in my life as weird and obsessed as that sounds,"

Shane chuckled. "I get you, Nay," he replied, using his brother's pet name. "I forgive you by the way."

"For what? I've done a lot of things to you."

"You'll know when you know. Just know that I forgive you in advance and-"

"Nate, you have a call." Leon cut in, handing him his phone.

Nate turned to his brother apologetically before standing up and going off to answer his call. Whilst he was gone, Shane spotted Caitlyn walking down the trail towards him.

"Gellar," he acknowledged her.

"Jerk Gray," she replied, taking a seat next to him. "Nate seems to be happier when you talk to him."

"We can both relate to something."

Caitlyn nodded. "I still haven't forgiven you and I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing here sitting beside you."

"Same. Could have just left but... I don't have the strength to fight any more. I'm nearly thirty, not closer than Jason is but I'm heading that way and it's a little scary."

Caitlyn chuckled. "Trust you to find ageing scary, Shane. I'm scared that everything I know is changing..."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. I gotta go help Connie in the kitchen but tell Nate where I am, yeah?"

Shane nodded. "Sure..." he replied as he watched her leave.

He was going to find out what she meant.

...

"Hey, Connie!"

Connie turned around and grinned, hugging Caitlyn. "Hello, sweetheart! Come to release me from my boredom?"

Caitlyn giggled, nodding. "Yeah. I'm also here to bring an extra pair of hands. Got something for them to do?"

Connie smiled. "Peel the potatoes then chop them into slices. I'm making home made fried fries!"

The red head grinned, accepting the large bag of potatoes.

"So, how was the tour?"

"It was great! We went loads of places and I really enjoyed myself. It's probably the only time I'll ever be myself, that I'll have with Mitchie."

Connie turned to face her, concern written all over her features. "Caitlyn... Is there something wro-"

"Mrs Torres! Our shipment of taco shells has broken down on the highway."

Connie sighed, smiling at her kitchen assistant. "I'll get right on it. Tell Brown that I'll be just a minute."

Caitlyn faced her. "I'll be okay!"

Just then, Nate came in with a large smile and a box of chocolates in his hand. "Never fear, chocolates are here!"

She giggled and gave Connie a look who grinned and left, the concern still eating at her.

"Thanks. Can you help me? Just gotta peel and slice these," she said, gesturing to the bunch of potatoes.

Nate placed the box down and stood right beside her, picking up a potato. "Can't remember having a home cooked meal-ish."

Caitlyn raised an eyebrow. "What do you eat? You look all buff and you're diabetic!"

Nate smirked. "Salads mainly. But the occasional Meat Feast from the pizza restaurant back in BH."

"Hmm, nice."

"So, what about you, Miss Skinny-Dancer?"

Caitlyn blushed. "I'm not vegan like Mitchie is... Or is trying to be like. I'm just a let loose and eat all. Just last week, two Big Macs from McD's and I still had enough for desert! And I manage to maintain my figure. Did you see my dance video where I wore gold? Dance Fusion are thinking of hiring me as a choreographer or judge!"

"Wow, that's amazing! Are you going to take it up, now that you're in LA for a whole year?"

Caitlyn shrugged. "Probably. I don't want to rush into anything though... I also got a singing contract from our label..."

"Wow! Caitlyn you should be glad! It's-It's amazing! You can sing, dance and produce your own music. Isn't that sweet?"

"Yeah, but Nate... What about Mitchie? I can't ditch her. She's my best friend for life and it's always going to be me and her, The Singer and The Producer."

Nate shook his head, stopping his slicing of his batch of potatoes. "You're crazy, babe. A music career? A dance opportunity? Why not do something beyond just Mitchie? She's a big girl, she can handle her stuff, trust me, I know. You... you need to live your dreams."

"What if they're not my dreams? What if Mitchie is my dream?"

Nate blushed. "Then I'd think you're really a lesbian behind my back."

She giggled. He loved that sound.

"No... I meant what if being Mitchie's music producer is my dream? I did originally want to become a music producer but then I found out that singing and dancing were also my strong suits. But producing music is better for me because I can still hold on to a sense of normality."

"I understand... surprisingly." Nate replied, continuing to slice the potatoes. "I wish I had your job. At least I wouldn't have stalkers everywhere."

Caitlyn sighed. "Dating Nat Larkin was no walk in the park either. Plus, I'm Mitchie's other half, of course I would have stalkers. Did I tell you about the time some guy broke into our apartment to ask me on a date? He was like proper obsessed with me and I was actually a little flattered but mostly crept out."

Nate laughed. "You have it bad! Some girls have tried to grope me but breaking in and dating? Never had it."

"Yeah, it's a perk to come with being a music producer." she grinned. "Hey, after camp, do you wanna hang out? When we get back to LA, I mean."

"Thought you'd never ask." Nate grinned, giving her brief side hug.


	5. What Could Have Been

**Another character descriptions! My own O/CS**

 **Mara Paves: 26, Mitchie's guitarist and bassist and Mitchie and Caitlyn's BBFL.**

 **Nat Fox: 25, music producer and Caitlyn's close friend.**

* * *

"Mitchie! Wait up!"

Mitchie halted and crossed her arms, turning to face Shane with an eyebrow raised.

"Yes, Shane?"

"I just... I spoke to Caitlyn earlier and she seemed, I don't know? Off?"

Mitchie's eyes narrowed. "Why is it any of your business?"

"It's not. I'm just concerned, is all. If this is going to affect her relationship with my little brother, I guess I should know a little."

Mitchie bit her lip. "Honestly? It's nothing. Caitlyn may just be in her cynical moment again. It's nothing new. It just happens when she's moody or PMSing as she is right now. But... thanks for giving me a heads up."

Shane smiled, pretty pleased with himself. "No problem. Just hope she's okay."

"Yeah."

"So... How's life been for you?"

She scoffed, letting out a short chuckle. "Really? After we... broke up, I've never been happier than I am now. Life's great. I've sold millions of albums, gone on many tours... sang with big stars. I think all I needed was to generate my energy into my music other than balancing out my personal and professional lives."

"I really am sorry about that... I wish I could explain it to you but... it's not my place to."

Mitchie's face wore confusion. "What do you mean? Somebody told you to break up with me?"

"No! Nothing of the sort. Look, forget about it. We've both moved on, we're happy. I hope we can still be friends?"

"Yeah, sure." Mitchie replied, waving it off. "I better go help my mother."

"Okay. If you see Nate, tell him I need to talk to him in my cabin."

Mitchie smiled. "Of course. See you around, Pop star."

"Rock star, Mitch. Rock star." Shane corrected with a grin.

The blackhead shook her head. "You'll always be my pop star." she said, leaving.

Shane didn't want to admit it but... he still felt those butterflies.

...

"Wendy!"

Wendy jumped, startling her daughter awake. "Jason! What's the deal?!"

Jason winced as their daughter started to cry. "Sorry. Just have some news."

"Did ya have to shout it?" she hissed, bouncing the child up and down.

"Sorry. You know what? I'll tell you later."

He sighed, leaving a glaring Wendy behind him. He found Shane leaning against a nearby tree with a stupid grin on his face.

"Hey, Shane!"

"Hi, Jase. How are you this fine day?"

"Pretty well, thanks for asking. You?"

Shane shrugged. "I'm on better terms with Mitchie. Maybe this summer wouldn't be crap at all."

"So you've now made up with Nate and Mitchie. Well done. How about the girl who you dyed her hair bright green?"

Shane winced. "She's a tough one. Gotta work hard for those Brownie points. I do know one thing about her though."

"What?"

"She makes Nate get those butterflies." Shane grinned. "It's kinda cute, really. Nate's not really a jerk at the moment."

Jason agreed. "Just the other day, I saw his PA Leon or whatever whistling happily. Then he told me that Nate was probably getting some from his best friend. At first, I was confused but I managed to stop it. Whatever it was."

"Even his PA was happy? Gosh, seems like this one is sticking around."

"So, how are you going to apologise to Caitlyn?"

Shane shrugged. "Couple of months ago, I was scrolling through tweets and found out that Caitlyn REALLY wants a dog. A pug or something like that and she said that Mitchie won't allow one in their new apartment until they've at least stayed there for six months. So... I'm guessing this is month six and Caitlyn can get her dream dog and be happy with me and we can all eat from rainbows and ride unicorns."

"Really Shane?" Jason laughed. "Well, what are we waiting for? Caitlyn's birthday is in 2 days and I know a guy."

"Oh, you mean a 'girl'? Whose cousin owns a certain pet store?" Shane teased.

Jason showed him his ring. "I'm married now. What Mara and I used to have is over."

"Um..., tell that to her face." Shane swallowed as Jason turned around.

A light pink haired girl smiled brightly at them. "Married, huh? Good one."

"Mara!"

"Hey." she grinned. "Guess who is the new guitar and bass instructor?"

Shane and Jason hugged her, the latter holding her longer than need be.

"Couldn't help but overhear you need my help? Getting a dog for the beautiful and talented best friend of mine?"

"Yeah, Shane is using it as a peace offering. I'm using it as a birthday present."

Mara smirked. "Damn, you stole my present idea!"

"Was it? Jase and I can totally think of an-"

"Relax! I'm getting her a shaved ice set. She's been annoying Mitchie and I during tour. That reminds me, gotta call somebody about apartment sitting. This was all last minute, not planned and Mitchie would KILL me if anyone broke into our apartment. The girls don't even know I'm here, yet."

Shane winked. "Seems like you're screwed. Caitlyn's on her way over."

Mara jumped and turned around to see no one. "You jerk! Gave me a heart attack!"

"Had to do that, sorry."

Mara rolled her eyes. "Anyway, nice catching up. I'll give my cousin a call and arrange something for ya. So see ya."

"Bye."

Shane turned to Jason with a smile. "Get rid of Wendy and you can have all that." he whispered, gesturing to Mara's figure. "Plus, she's great with kids. Have you seen her twitter and insta?"

"Unlike you, I don't stalk people. Anyway, I can't leave Wendy. It's important for a child to have both parents. Wait until mom and dad's age to get divorced as your kids will be over twenty and understanding."

"So you're stuck with a complete psycho for twenty years? Good luck, bro. And I don't think Mara will wait that long." Shane state, leaving.

Jason sighed and spotted some familiar faces heading his way. He smiled and waved them over. He was going to need all the help he could get.


	6. One For The Campfire

**Even more characters!**

 **Lola Scott: 25, aspiring singer and rapper and Barron and Sander's BFFL.**

 **Barron James: 25, famous duo rapper with Sander and BFFL to Sander and Lola.**

 **Sander Loyer: 24, famous duo rapper with Barron and BBFL to Barron and Lola.**

 **Tess Tyler: 23, singer turned model and BFFL to Ella.**

 **Ella Pador: 25, singer turned fashion designer and BFFL to Tess.**

 **Peggy Dupree: 26, famous singer and distant friend of Tess and Ella.**

 **Now a major eventful chapter for you!**

* * *

Peggy sighed as she collected her suitcase from the boot of her new car and looked around the camp. It smelt like home.

She made her way to Brown's office and coincidently bumped into him on the way.

"Peggy? Peggy Dupree!" he smiled widely. "How are ya, love? How you doing?"

Peggy chuckled. "I'm great, Brown. Just feels great to be back... home." she added, happily.

Brown gave her a hug. "Nice to know. Lola, Barron and Sander checked in hours back."

"So, Tess and Ella aren't here yet?"

Brown shook his head. "Not yet, love. But Mitchie, Caitlyn and the dismembered Connect 3 are here as well."

Peggy's eyes lit up. "That's fantastic! I've been meaning to catch up with Mitchie after I opened for her a couple of times on her recent tour. Had to leave in London though, my grandmother fell sick."

"That's a shame." Brown shook his head sadly.

"Yeah, she's a little better. Mitchie and Caitlyn were so understanding! Even their friend, Mara offered to drive me all the way home from LA to Philly since I couldn't get a sooner flight home. Mara stayed throughout and had to leave after a couple of days to return to the tour, they're such wonderful girls, I'm glad I met them years ago. In this very place. Mara, I only met on tour though."

Brown whistled. "They are great girls. Mara's here as an instructor for her first time and the girls are excited to see everyone again."

"I can't wait either." Peggy grinned.

"Well, come on! Let's not waste time and let you rejuvenate. I bet driving from Philly did you done!"

"Yep, and I got flat tyres twice and had to call reinforcements." Peggy giggled as she followed Brown.

...

"Who's got what it takes to be, my guy-"

"What it takes to make, me shine-"

"Caitlyn!"

"Lola!"

Mitchie grinned, rolling her eyes. "Kill me now!" she said as her friends hugged each other. She herself got up and wrapped her arms around Lola and the boys.

Jason chuckled. "Guess who I found lurking about in the bushes." he announced to Caitlyn and Mitchie.

Lola raised her hands. "I was... Simply trying to make a freestyle rap about bushes." she said.

Barron grinned. "And you failed."

"Badly," Sander added. "I had to claw my ears off."

Lola hit them before laughing herself. "Hey, chicas! How have you guys been doing?" she asked, sitting beside Caitlyn.

"Well, I've been well." Caitlyn replied with a cheeky grin.

Mitchie just shook her head. "I've been mature. Did you know what crazy over here did on our first day back?"

"What?" Their friends asked.

"Messed up Brown's new truck with bird feathers _with_ our 'home boy' Nate."

Lola gasped. "Nate? Nate Gray?"

"The one and only,"

They all turned to face Nate who smiled and sat beside Caitlyn on her other side.

"Ah, that Nate." Lola chuckled. "'Sup?"

"Nada. You?"

"Always was a one word ninja." Lola replied with her eyes narrowed.

The girls rolled their eyes as Nate did a stupid handshake with Barron and Sander.

"Nate, how was your recent tour?"

Nate smirked at Lola. "Great. Yours?"

"You..." Lola trailed off. "How's the family? Shane, Jason?"

"Decent. You?"

Lola bit back a curse. "Do you still fancy Caitlyn?"

Nate took one glance at Caitlyn's bemused face.

"Eh. You?"

"I'm not a-" Lola stopped herself, making the group laugh. "Yes or no answer." she gave up.

"Yes."

Caitlyn spat out her coke. "Wait," she said, wiping her mouth. "I already knew that!" she yelled, making everyone laugh again.

Lola tried Nate again. "How great does Caitlyn look today?"

"Really."

"Dang it! What's your favourite song on your new album?"

Nate smirked. "Chains."

"For fu-!"

"What's going on here?" Shane asked, joining the group with Nat.

Mitchie grinned up at him. "Lola and Nate are playing their one word answer game. Nate's pretty good, I'd admit."

Nat laughed. "I bet I can do better. I'll ask him a question. What do you think of me?"

Nate looked her up and down. "Bitch."

Nat playfully gasped. "Oh my gosh, he is good!"

Shane shook his head. "You guys don't know him like I do. Come on, we would spend hours on end back in the day playing this stupid game. All right, let me see..." he mumbled. "Okay. Why do you act like a jerk?"

Nate raised his eyebrows. "Loyalty?" he asked.

"How is that an answer?" Barron asked, receiving a hit from Lola.

"Loyalty as in how?" Shane smirked.

"People."

"In how?"

"Friendship."

"And...?"

"Brothers." Nate finished.

Jason frowned. "What do you mean, us?"

"Model." Nate smiled. He had this in the bag.

"A role model?" Jason asked.

"Yes."

Shane awed. "You look up to us? That's so... weirdly sweet." he admitted.

Nate rolled his eyes. "Friendship." he repeated.

"And?"

"Losing... my way. Damn it." Truth be told, his next answer was 'Caitlyn' but he'll never admit it.

Shane high fived Jason. "We got him. Lola, he's all yours."

Lola laughed. "Thanks weirdos. But seriously, Nate? Great to have you back. Not as a jerk." she smiled, giving him a fist bump.

"Room for one more?" A quiet voice asked.

Mitchie gasped. "Peggy! How are you? How's your grandmother! Come and sit!"

Peggy laughed. "Damn, girl! Let me sit first."

Mitchie blushed, grinning. "We missed you so much!"

"We did. Once Mara came back, she couldn't stop talking about your big brother and how hot he looked." Caitlyn added.

Peggy giggled. "He did give her his number and told me that when I saw her again, I should ask her out on a date for him. Lazy ass."

"Where is Mara, anyway?"

Shane and Jason looked at each other. "She's, uh..."

"She said something about tuning or kissing her new guitar."

Caitlyn nodded. "Yep, that's something Mara would do all right." she said.

"But didn't she tune her guitar at home before she left for her parents?"

"Oh, Shane got it wrong. She's _playing_ her new guitar by the lake. That's where we spotted her last."

"Ah, the serenity of the lake. That's something she would do, again." Caitlyn agreed.

Mitchie shrugged. "I guess."

"Look at this! The gang back together!" Caitlyn grinned. "Only, we need Tess and Ella."

"Yeah, who can forget them?" Peggy mumbled. "I better go and check out who's my new roomie."

Mitchie looked at her. "Oh, right. Do you want us to follow? Girls' catch up time?"

"No, you guys are cool. I'll be phoning my parents soon, anyway."

Caitlyn nodded, giving her a hug. "Well, see you later."

Peggy nodded, standing up and leaving. As soon as she got to her room, the tears fell freely as she hugged her pillow.

...

"Hey, Beautiful."

Caitlyn jumped, turning around to find Nate smirking. "You jerk! Scared the bejeezus out of me!"

"I need you to listen to something."

Caitlyn smiled. "A new song?"

Nate nodded. "Yeah. I just... need an opinion."

Caitlyn blushed, placing her folded clothes on the dresser before sitting beside him on her bed. "Try me."

Before Nate could play the song, there was a knock on the door.

"It's soaking out there!" Nat and Mitchie squealed before entering.

"Really? I just came in about a minute ago," Nate replied.

Mitchie nodded. "It just started pouring. Brown's sending a storm signal out. Jason and Shane are going out to check for any stragglers."

Nate shot up. "Just them? If there's a storm then they need to be inside. Safe." he said, opening the door.

"I'll go with you!"

Nat turned to Caitlyn. "You sit back down. Nate's a big boy."

Nate smiled gently at Caitlyn. "You stay here, okay?"

Caitlyn shook her head. "I know how you are with storms. I'm coming." she replied, grabbing her coat. "Come on."

They knew they couldn't stop her so Nate sighed and grabbed Caitlyn's hand and they left.

The rain poured heavily down on them as they called out Shane's and Jason's names.

"They can't be that far, surely?" Caitlyn asked as they reached the woods.

Nate shrugged. "There's a cabin up this way. Used to be our mom's because she like the serenity of it. Maybe they're there."

Caitlyn nodded, biting her lip. "Are you sure? Isn't there a cliff around here?"

"We'll reach the cabin before the cliff if I remember my way correctly."

The redhead sighed, agreeing as her hand held Nate's tightly. "If we die, I'll blame you."

"How?" Nate chuckled as he helped her over a fallen tree. "We'll be dead, won't we?"

"Ass." Caitlyn mumbled.

Ten minutes later, they still did not find the cabin. "I swear it was around here."

"Uh, are you sure?"

"Why?"

"I found the cliff."

Nate groaned as he turned in the direction she was looking. "We have to go back the way we-"

"What was that?"

A snap sounded again and Nate and Caitlyn walked up to it, their phones shining in the direction.

"Stay behind me," Nate warned.

Caitlyn chuckled. "You think I'll be the first to get killed? You got another thing coming."

Nate rolled his eyes even though she couldn't see it in the heavy rain. They both walked closer to the bush.

"Shane? Jason? If that's you playing a prank on us, then give it up." Nate shakily called out.

Suddenly a wild dog emerged, growling.

"Oh my God..." Caitlyn muttered as they slowly started to back away.

"I thought wolves were extinct." Nate said, holding Caitlyn tight to his body.

Caitlyn nodded. "That's no wolf. That's... a wild dog!"

"Hey, there buddy! Please don't eat us," Nate whined, closing his eyes as Caitlyn continued to slowly drag them back.

She turned around and found her right foot by the edge of the cliff. "We either die by getting eaten or we die by falling down this cliff." she gulped.

Nate's eyes opened as he looked back at the vast space beyond them.

"We should have waited back at the cabin."

"We really should have," Caitlyn mumbled. "If we're going to die, I have to tell you something."

Nate raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yes, really! Anyway, I've had this stupid crush on you since we were kids!"

"You already know my answer."

Caitlyn awed. "Really? I guess we should kiss before doggy here kills us for sport."

It was a quick kiss but it said all that they wanted it to.

Nate couldn't stop thinking about how her lips tasted like strawberries.

Caitlyn couldn't stop thinking about how his lips tasted like cinnamon.

Suddenly, Caitlyn tripped, bringing Nate down with her.

"Nate!" she screamed fearfully.

"Caity, don't let go. Hold on!" Nate called back, looking down and swallowing.

The wild dog continued to snarl at them, making Caitlyn lose her grip a little.

"Help! Somebody help us!" she sobbed.

Nate's heart lurched as he tried climbing the wall, his hand gripping Caitlyn's tightly as she continued to hold his weight.

"I'll-I'll try and climb the wall so you can let go. Don't let go just yet, though."

Caitlyn nodded, wincing as his body put strain on hers. "I don't want to die, yet."

"I-I know. Same here. Rather not die falling of a cliff or being eaten by some hideous creature." Nate replied.

"Somebody help!" Caitlyn screamed.

They sighed breaths of relief when they heard a familiar voice.

"Over here! I hear someone!"

"Shane!" Nate called out.

Shane's heart stopped as he, Sander, Barron, Brown and Jason cut their way out of the trees and bushes. "Guys, it's Nate."

"We're coming!" Brown yelled, rushing to the cliff only to find the wild dog had turned on them. "Ah, Dmitri, was it?" Brown asked the dog.

The dog snapped and snarled at him.

"Where's your owner gone, eh? Come on, there's a good boy." Brown continued, leading the dog off with a rabbit he found by the tree. "Go get them, I have this covered."

Shane and Jason nodded, gesturing to Sander and Barron to tie the rope they held.

Jason looked over the edge and saw Caitlyn's mascara-stained face. "We're going to get you guys up, just hold on."

"I can't!" she sobbed.

"You can!" Shane yelled at her. He wasn't going to lose his little brother again.

Barron joined them. "We've tied the rope around a tree. We gotta fling them down for the both of them."

"Okay, Nate? A rope is going to fall beside you now. You grab on to it and don't let go." Shane instructed.

"What about Caity? Help her first!"

Jason shook his head. "As she's holding you, you're priority. We'll be quick, I promise."

The rope landed beside Nate and he grabbed it, his heart jumping for miles. Caitlyn's free hand found a niche in the wall and she held on for dear life.

"Okay, pull!" Sander instructed the guys.

When Nate reached the top, he collapsed into Jason's arms, sobbing.

"Okay, Caitlyn, we're going to get you up, now." Shane told her, flinging the rope beside her.

Caitlyn tried to grab it but it was far away from her. "Move it to the left a bit! I can't reach-"

They froze at her scream and Nate scrambled to the edge. "Caity!"

"I'm-I'm fine. I got it. J-Just hurry up."

They didn't waste any more time as they pulled at the rope and Caitlyn climbed on it, crawling away from the edge as possible as she could.

She froze as she reached Nate's arms, her features frozen.

"Caity, speak to me."

"She's in shock." Jason told him, placing his jacket over her shoulders and lifting her into his arms. "Let's get back."

Nate turned behind him at the cliff and gulped. This was going to be one for the camp fire.


	7. Pour Your Soul Out

Mitchie paced the room, the tears falling down her cheeks.

Mara had joined them, saying that Brown heard a scream and went to investigate with the guys. That had been an hour ago.

Nat flicked through a magazine, trying to channel her fears into laughter as she silently thought of the worse case scenario.

Peggy and Lola had also joined them, comforting Mitchie in any way they could by singing soft melodies or offering to be awake whilst she slept.

None of that helped Mitchie in the slightest as she kept running what Shane had asked her about her best friend earlier in the day.

Caitlyn had been acting strange these past couple weeks and now the urge to endanger her life? There was something more than she let on. Mitchie had to find out by all means.

The door opened and a bruised and battered Nate entered.

"She's... okay." he told them. "She's in Brown's cabin with Connie."

Mitchie snapped out of her reverie, fisting his collar in her hands. "What happened?" she asked.

"We-We got chased by some wild dog and fell off a cliff." Nate cried. "I-I thought that she-she was going to die. I thought that I was going to die!"

Mara held a hand to her chest as tears fell down her cheeks. "What happened?" she repeated.

"They found us. They had to pull me up first because Caitlyn was holding onto me but when we got to getting her up, she-she nearly let go and fell. But she grabbed the rope and now she isn't talking. She isn't moving, or doing anything. She's just... I don't know! And it's all my fault!"

"You're damn right about it's your fault. We didn't want her to go!" Nat yelled at him.

"Nat! Don't say that!" Peggy scolded. "It's not your fault, Nate. Look, why don't you get cleaned up and when the rain stops, we'll all go and see her okay?"

Lola nodded. "Yeah, Peggy's right. I'll sort out your cuts." she offered.

"I don't have any... spare clothes so I'm just going to head back. But thanks." Nate sniffled.

Peggy and Lola smiled, encouraging Mitchie to take notice. "What are friends for?"

"I'll see you later then." Nate mumbled, leaving.

Mitchie stared at her now empty hands and sobbed. "I could have lost her. And I'm already losing her to something that I don't even know about!"

"Oh, Mitch." Mara cooed, hugging her as her own tears fell. "She's okay. I promise."

Nat agreed. "She's a tough cookie," she added, joining the hug.

Mara gestured to Lola and Peggy and they smiled, hugging Mitchie too.

"She'll be fine."

...

Connie continued to gently stroke Caitlyn's hair as tears freely slid down the young woman's cheeks. Her stoic features sent goosebumps on Connie's body as she sighed.

"Caitlyn, my child?" she gently whispered.

Caitlyn only shivered in reply.

"I'm here. It's just us, you can tell me anything."

Caitlyn finally looked up at Connie. "I'm sick." she told her quietly.

Connie's heart sank as she gulped. "In what way, my honey?"

"I... I'm bipolar." Caitlyn finally said, bringing her knees up into her chest. "I kept it from Mitchie and when I nearly died, I found myself regretting that I never told her."

"How long have you known for?"

"Three months. I didn't want to be treated differently. I wanted everything to be as normal as it possibly could. And now, when Nate finds out, he'll leave me."

Connie shook her head. "He wouldn't! And Mitchie wouldn't too! They both love and cherish you and will be by your side no matter what! We will all be there for you."

"I... I just don't know what to do any more. I'm afraid I'll have a breakdown. It's nearly the anniversary of Catherine's death."

The eldest Torres female sighed in despair as she gently laid Caitlyn's head against her chest. "Do you miss her?"

"Of course I do! Cath was my sister! And she was always there for me."

"They still haven't found the guy who did it, right?"

Caitlyn nodded. "The trail has gone cold. They've closed the case. That's why my parents were calling me. They can't find the asshole who murdered my big sister in front of her children."

"Have you spoken to her husband?"

"Is it bad if I say 'no'?"

"Caitlyn...!"

Caitlyn cried, pushing away from Connie. "I can't face him! I'll just be a constant reminder that his wife's dead. At her funeral, he said I had her eyes! I have her eyes, Connie!"

Connie could see that she was becoming more distressed by the minute so she sighed. "You should sleep. The adrenaline is still running high from your scare."

"Stay with me? Please?"

"Always, Caitlyn." Connie smiled sadly.

"Always." Caitlyn repeated.

...

Nate found himself staring at his phone, his fingers brushing over the 'call' button a few times.

He had long since kicked out Leon for the night so he had to stay with Sander and Barron and Nate found himself even more lonelier than before.

He finally pressed 'call' and smiled when he heard her voice.

"How is he?"

 _"He's fine. Can't wait to speak with you."_ The female replied.

"Can I speak with him, please? I know it's late but... something happened and I just need to hear his voice."

The female became alarmed. _"What happened? Are you okay?"_

"Yeah, but that's a story for another time."

 _"Well, you're lucky it's a weekend. I'll pass the phone to him."_

Nate sighed in relief when he heard a child's voice.

 _"Daddy?"_

"Hey, Bud. How's my little Brayden doing?"

 _"I'm fine. It's really dark outside! Mommy said that it's way past my bedtime but I can talk to you!"_

Nate grinned. "Yeah, you can talk to me. So, go on and tell me how your week went."

* * *

 **Who's the woman? Any guesses? And do you think Caitlyn will confess all? All happens next chapter in The Reunion!**


	8. Being The Better Friend

The next day was sunnier and brighter and Tess and Ella finally arrived, making their way to Brown's cabin as the office was closed.

"He better be in here," Tess muttered. "It's 6 AM and I want to sleep."

"Same. I haven't even put on my kiwi and avocado face mask in 24 hours!" Ella gasped, checking her face out with her compact mirror. "I have bags under my eyes and now I'm going to get frown lines and wrinkles!"

Tess rolled her eyes but she understood the troubles of perfection and flawless faces and figures as she was a model herself.

"Seems like he's in." she said, seeing a silhouette in behind the window blinds.

Tess ditched her things with Ella and walked up to the door, knocking firmly on it.

Soon after, it opened.

"Mrs. Torres?" Tess and Ella asked, shocked.

Connie smiled widely. "Girls! Brown said we were expecting you! A day late but that doesn't matter. If you're looking for Brown he is on stage, preparing the welcome announcement for the campers today with Dee. And if you're looking for your cabin key, here you go." she said, unhooking a ring from beside the door and handing it to Tess.

"Thanks so much! We'll see him later because we literally got no sleep." Ella said, already struggling to manoeuvre hers and Tess's things away.

Connie nodded in sympathy. "Well, be careful and we hope to see the both of you for lunch?"

"Yeah, definitely!" Tess grinned.

...

Nate woke up with a start, Shane and Jason towering over him.

"You okay, bro?" Jason asked, helping him sit up.

"Yeah. I'm fine..." Nate mumbled.

Shane sighed, taking a seat beside him. "You can tell us anything, you know? If it was about your near death experience then it's okay to feel frightened. Heck, Jay and I were scared to death about the thought of losing you. It was like our lives flashed in front of my eyes and I remember the moment you camr home from hospital when you were born and I asked when they were taking you back. Basically, our lives would have stopped if you weren't there. And I'm sure that we can say the same for mom, dad, Amy and Felix."

"Yeah. It was about... you know. I had a nightmare that Caitlyn did actually fall and I never got the chance to restart our relationship."

"Well, she's alive and tomorrow is her birthday." Jason smiled. "If you don't remember, she loves people making a big fuss about her on her birthday."

"Then what are we waiting for? I'm going to take a quick shower then we can plan out what we're going to do for the most beautiful girl in the-"

"Okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves here." Shane chuckled. "Just go and shower, we'll meet in the Mess Hall."

As Shane and Jason left, they smiled at each other.

"Our gift arrives tomorrow. Mara gave me the details." Jason said.

"Great. And just in time. Although, I do seriously wonder what Nate's got her since he's the one fighting for her love."

Jason laughed. "Did you quote Cheryl Fernadez-Versini?"

"Yeah and so?" Shane playfully retorted. "It's a good song!"

"Yeah, yeah."

...

"How you feeling?" Mitchie asked Caitlyn who seemed much brighter.

"Fantastic, given yesterday's events!" Caitlyn replied, tying her up as she dug around her suitcase for her swimsuit. "Hey, have you seen my polka dot navy bikini?"

Mitchie giggled. "You packed it in my suitcase, remember? So you could have space for your short daisy dukes."

Caitlyn giggled in reply as she dug through Mitchie's suitcase. "Can you believe it? I'll be 24 tomorrow!"

"Yeah, you will!" Mitchie said just as enthusiastic as her friend. "I've requested to leave for a spa nearby but Brown said that lessons start tomorrow so that plan was shut down."

"That's fine. We can go after camp."

Mitchie sighed. "If we can find the time to."

Caitlyn bit her lip, closing her eyes. "Mitch, don't do that. I know you're bursting to get another album done but... you've actually neglected our friendship. I've felt like a personal assistant or something because you were always busy to hang out."

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to..." Mitchie sighed, pulling her friend to sit down beside her. "I promise you that the first four months leading up to Christmas are ours. And Mara's. And probably Nat's."

Her friend grinned, giving her a tight hug. "Look, I'm going to see if I can find Nate. We really need to talk after what happened."

"Yeah, you do. He was worried sick and I don't think I've ever seen him cry before. He was desperate to get to you but we had to tell him to let it all sink in before he did anything."

"I was fine anyway. Your mom took good care of me."

Mitchie fidgeted, realising the slight pause. "And...?"

"Promise me you won't be mad or freaked out or... hate me?"

Mitchie became alarmed as she fully turned to face her best friend. "Why? What is it? Are you sick? Are you pregnant?! Oh my God, you're pregnant! Is it Nate's? Wait, you guys haven't been together that long unless you've been sneaking around behind my back for months. Gosh! It's Nat's! Nat Larkin! That's why you guys needed to talk-"

"Bitch, breathe!" Caitlyn giggled.

"Sorry. Went off on one then. So, tell me!"

Caitlyn took a deep breath in, holding Mitchie's hands in the process. "I'm ill."

Mitchie's heart sank. "Ill? In-in what way?"

Caitlyn smiled a little, brushing a strand of hair from her friend's face. "I'm bipolar. I've known for months but... I couldn't let it sink in. Until now. When... I nearly died, my whole life flashed before me and I had to tell you before it was too late but I'm still the same-"

Mitchie jolted away from Caitlyn, almost falling onto the ground. She steadied herself using the bedside table and shakily stood up. "Why... why did you tell me?" she tearfully asked. "Was this when you had 'food poisoning' and you requested to see your family doctor instead of the doctors on tour?"

Caitlyn nodded, wrapping her arms around her, tears falling down her face. "I wanted to tell you then but my mother forced an appointment on me. It was short notice and she had to know if she gave me her illness."

"And those-those pills! I thought that they were birth control pills because you and Nat were active in the..."

"I lied. Nat and I only had the first time. I stopped taking birth control and switched them with my bipolar control pills." Caitlyn shakily admitted.

Mitchie shook her head. "I genuinely feel sick, right now. I'm your best friend! Practically your sister! We've been living together for years and you-you kept this from me? I-I need some time."

With that, Caitlyn watched her friend leave and fully broke down, her sobs filling her trousers, drowning her in sorrow.

...

Nate happily hummed a tune, pretty glad with himself that he had managed to get his future-girlfriend the best birthday gift ever.

"What's got you singing, birdie?" Lola asked, joining him in step.

Nate chuckled. "I got a birthday gift for Caitlyn. Where's yours?"

Lola gasped before smirking. "You think I wasn't prepared? Who do you think gets her hair dye? Tomorrow's colour is blue."

"Nice," Nate drew out, fist-bumping her fist.

"So, what's yours?"

Nate smiled. "She told me something a couple of days back. So, I got her..." He looked around cautiously before leaning into Lola's ear. "Her first guitar for her first single!"

Lola grinned. "Oh my Gods, that's great, dude! Damn, you're making the rest of us look like sh-"

"Mitchie? What's wrong?" Nate asked, spotting Mitchie storming off towards the lake.

"Ask your girlfriend!" she hissed back, running her hands through her hair as she storned off.

Lola frowned. "They never argue,"

"Yeah. I'll check on Caitlyn. You follow Mitchie and see if she's okay."

Lola nodded. "Yeah, sure. See you around." she called out, following the distressed superstar.

Nate rushed towards the girls' cabin and stumbled in, seeing Caitlyn's crying figure.

"Caitlyn?" Nate whispered, sittiny beside her and bringing her to his chest. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"I thought she would understand. I thought she would see that I'm still me!"

"What are you talking about, babe?"

Caitlyn shrugged. "Promise me you won't think any less of me?"

Nate kissed her head and rubbed her shoulder gently. "I promise but now you're scaring me."

"I-I told Mitchie a deep and dark secret and she didn't take it too well so you have to be there for me if you want us to make a go of whatever we are."

Nate finally kissed her lips. "I promise."

"I'm ill. I'm bipolar."

Nate looked down in shock as his grip slackened a little. "Why are you scared to tell me?"

"Because... you'll see me differently." Caitlyn sighed.

Nate shook his head. "You'll be surprised to know that my mom and my little sister are bipolar. I won't think any less of you because you have an illness. It's part of nature, to be different. I should have been the person you were the least scared about telling because I'm aware of it, I live with it. You should see Amy... She's still that firecracker you met ten years ago."

Caitlyn grinned a little. "So she didn't change?"

"She did but she grew with it. She's more mature than she would have been if she was considered normal. How about I give you her phone number and you can talk to her about it."

"That would really help. Thanks." Caitlyn smiled, kissing him. "But what about Mitchie?"

"I think she was just upset that she missed the signs. She blames herself for being a crap friend."

Caitlyn nodded, turning her head to view a picture of her and Mitchie in Mitchie's first year at camp.

"Enough about this situation. We have to talk about last-"

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

Caitlyn laughed, her laughter ringing through Nate's ears like a melody. "Yeah, alright! Mr. Get-to-the-point."

Nate grinned, tackling her with kisses just as Mara walked in.

"Oh, God!" she screamed. "I'm needed somewhere which isn't here apparently. And if you guys do come up for air, we have a group meeting in the Mess Hall in about ten minutes... Make that fifteen." she grimaced.


	9. Old Tricks Cause New Things

Shane started the meeting as soon as he saw the newly couple walk in hand in hand.

"Right, as you all know Caitlyn's birthday is tomorrow and unfortunately lessons also start tomorrow which doesn't give us the chance to celebrate."

"It's okay, honestly. As long as I'm with you guys, my day will be perfect." Caitlyn assured the group, receiving a grunt from Shane.

Mitchie sighed, going to sit beside her best friend. "Look, you only turn 24 once and this time, the gang are all back together except from Tess and Ella who still haven't come yet. It's fate that we're all together for your birthday."

"So, you're still talking to me?"

"Of course. I'm sorry I flipped out. I just felt like a horrible friend for not noticing that you weren't happy. It seemed that I spent more time with my Opening Act and her issues that I forgot about us."

Caitlyn smiled brightly. "I love you, Mitchie."

"Love you, too Cait." Mitchie replied, giving her a tight hug.

"Okay... don't know what that was about and I'm glad you're friends again but Brown gave us midnight privileges. This night, as soon as the clock strikes 12, we'll be at the lake celebrating Caitlyn's birthday so bring your presents because mine and Jason's are going to thrash all of yours."

Mitchie scoffed. "Yeah right."

"You don't know Caitlyn as much as we do," Mara added, smirking.

Shane raised an eyebrow at her. "Wanna bet?"

"Guys! I'm not a-"

"Deal!" Mitchie yelled out, shaking both Shane and Jason's hands as Mara did the same.

Caitlyn shook her head. "Why do I even bother?" she asked, leaning into Nate's side.

"Then it's a done deal. Tonight at approximately 5 past 12, Caitlyn will decide the best gift giver. "

"You're such a jerk," Mitchie smiled.

Shane winked at her. "And you know you love it."

"Great! The time we plan our big entrance, Smitchie have gotten back together. Way to steal the thunder guys!"

"Tess! Ella!"

Caitlyn and Mitchie leaped from their seats to engulf the two in a tight hug.

"We were wondering when you bitches would turn up." Shane remarked.

Tess gave him the finger but hugged him and the others nonetheless.

"We got in at 6. We couldn't get away from our model duties even though we had scheduled this for 5 months. We really need a new PA, Ells."

Peggy smiled at them. "How's modelling?"

Ella took in a sharp breath when she heard her voice. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Hey! What's up with you three?" Caitlyn asked.

Peggy sighed. "They're just mad that I didn't follow them into the world of modelling and ditched them for Mitchie's tour."

Mitchie's stomach flipped. "I broke your friendship? I didn't mean to! I thought that you wanted the chance to go on a World Tour-"

"It's fine, Michelle." Tess hissed. "Margaret can apologise for herself."

"Girls, let's not be mean here. Come on, it's our first time seeing each other in so long so... why don't we get along? For old time's sake?" Jason asked, stepping between the models and the singers.

"Words of wisdom come from your mouth, Jason!" Ella grinned. "To be honest, I really missed Peggy."

"I missed you too. The both of you." Peggy assured them.

Tess sighed. "I guess I apologise _and_ missed you too." she begrudgingly admitted. "Let's spend this summer fixing us, yeah?"

Peggy nodded eagerly. "Of course,"

"Great, now that's sorted, we have to get ready for Brown's Welcome Speech. Remember, _everyone_ meets at 12 by the lake this night." Shane ordered. "If you're late then, I don't care because Caitlyn will have the best birthday there is ever!"

Tess raised her hand. "I want to take back an earlier comment I made. Instead, I want to say, ' _Shaitlyn_ gets together'."

Nate chuckled. "In Shane's dreams. She's mine."

"What?! Then it's ' _Naitlyn_ gets together'!" Ella squealed. "I always knew that there was something between you guys. Especially when Caitlyn was really jealous of Da-"

"And, let's go!" Caitlyn yelled out, running out of the Mess Hall.

"If it's any consolation, I was jealous of Nat!" Nate called after her. "And we really do need to..."

"Yeah," Mitchie said, leading everyone out.

...

"...now my stupid nephews will treat us with an original song!" Brown announced, making the boys' smiles drop from their faces.

"We haven't performed in years." Jason whispered to his younger brothers.

Nate gulped. "And I haven't made any new music for us since... then."

"The only songs I wrote are for my _new_ band!" Shane squeaked.

Their friends watched them, bemused.

"How about an old song?" Caitlyn suggested.

"I really love the _Play My Music_ song," Lola said.

"Or the other summer song you guys did that year." Sander added.

"We're waiting, gentlemen. Or shall I say, boys?" Brown joked, making the crowd laugh.

The boys narrowed their eyes. "Oh bring it, Uncle Brown." Shane said, storming onto the stage with his brothers on tow.

"What will we do?" Jason whispered, watching Shane get a microphone.

"Uh..., let's please Lola then." Nate told them.

"Great song choice, boys." Brown said, slapping Nate on the back, making him glare at him.

Jason nodded. " _Play My Music_ it is, then."

Shane took centre stage, smiling at his brothers. "Follow my lead."

...

"You guys rocked the stage!" Barron stated.

"I think I'm a little too old to jump around stage, now though." Jason chuckled, clicking his back.

The others laughed, patting poor Jason on the back.

"That's what happens when you become a-"

"Daddy!"

Everyone wore curious glances as they searched for the voice's owner.

Jason had a child but she was not even able to walk let alone speak yet.

But one member of the group's heart stopped. He recognised that voice from anywhere.

"Brayden! What did I tell you about running off?" The child's mother scolded.

Now _everyone_ recognised that voice.

Shane turned around. "Dana?"

Dana halted, her son in her arms as her eyes grew wide at everyone's stares.

"Sh-Shane."

Mitchie looked between Shane's shocked expression and Dana's. She also noticed the colour had drained from Nate's face. They knew something. Either one of them was Brayden's father.

"How are you guys doing?" Dana asked, hesitantly looking at Nate.

Caitlyn pursed her lips. "Fine. Didn't know you were coming here."

"I got called for a pianist instructor job last minute. I figured that I could put this Little Guy in Junior Rockers, get him started early."

The child struggled in her arms. "Mommy, let go! I want Daddy!"

"Daddy's... not here, remember?"

Nate silenty thanked her and she smiled brightly at the group.

"Anyone with brown hair is immediately his father."

"Who is his father? If you don't mind me asking," Mitchie urged.

Dana's smile faltered. "I can't tell you-"

"It's him!" Brayden pointed in the direction of Shane and Nate.

"No, Brady-baby-"

"Mommy, Daddy's just there!"

Caitlyn worked out who he was pointing to and sighed. "Congratulations, Nate. You're a daddy." she sighed, walking away.

Mitchie shook her head. "You couldn't tell us? Save us the bother of trying to make your relationship work?"

Nate's throat closed up as Shane butted him.

"He's mine."

And that's when Mitchie fainted.


	10. The Good Advice Group

**Hey, Guest called Erica. I'm a little confused about your review. Did I confuse you or everyone because others seem to understand? It's pretty much straightforward as the whole fic is about having dark deep secrets. If anyone hasn't read previous chapters, I'm sorry because this is a spoiler alert to explain something. Okay, Nate's secret is that he had a kid with a girl he dated years ago and only Shane knew about this as it will all become clear in this chapter so just wait. And since Shane and Mitchie aren't really together as in previous chapters, Mitchie is holding out for some guy who is her bodyguard, Shane protected his brother in hopes that Caitlyn wouldn't be too mad or upset with Nate once he explains the truth. Also, Shane told them that Brayden's his because Nate was just 18 when he became a dad and no guy should suffer being shunned by his friends for making a big mistake like that and backlashed by the media for being too young and out of wedlock so Shane would have been roughly 21 years old when his nephew was born so at least they would understand if a little if Shane was 'the dad'. Also, Mitchie fainted because Shane would have become a 'father' when the two were still together so at some point, he 'cheated' on her as they were together in CR2. Hope that clears things up! And now continue reading the next chapter after character synopsis!**

 **Dana Turner: 23, Nate's ex-girlfriend and Brayden's mother.**

 **Brayden Turner: 6, Nate's secret son and Jason and Shane's nephew.**

* * *

"No...," Nate sighed, looking at his friends trying to wake Mitchie up. "He's really mine."

"Then why would Shane...?" Jason asked, suddenly feeling disappointment and anger.

Nate swallowed. "I had him promise to tell no one about this. The day I found out, I called Shane to pick me up and I confessed all. Dana and I had been together for five months and then suddenly a baby?"

"We split before I found out and told him," Dana added. "I couldn't do that to him but Shane insisted that Nate should do the right thing and stick by me but we just never really worked out. We found out all the flaws of each other and couldn't embrace them."

Mitchie finally awoke, betrayal written in her features as she shrugged Shane's hand off her.

"I have to find Caitlyn." she gritted out, getting up with the help of Ella and Mara.

"No, you need to hear Shane out. I'll go and find her." Peggy said, giving her friend a quick hug before jogging off.

Mitchie glared at Shane. "Well?"

"Mitchie don't... blame him. Brayden's mine. He was just protecting me." Nate said, gaining her full attention.

"Then you've just destroyed Caitlyn ten times more, now," Mitchie said her glare now on him. "She was honest with you! She was practically telling you things she never told me!"

"What are you talking about?" Nate asked her.

Mitchie rolled her eyes. "I heard you two in the kitchens. You encouraging her to leave me. Telling her that she couldn't be in my shadow. Have you forgotten that everything I do, she's deeply involved? She gets 35 percent which is 5 percent less than I get and she is my best friend! Of course, I'll be happy for her to leave and branch out. You were practically blaming me for holding her back."

"I'm sorry it sounded like that! I was just trying to be supportive because I love her! And I think she's amazing just like Shane thinks you are." Nate retorted.

Tess sighed. "Guys? We're drawing a crowd here."

Brown walked over, a disappointed look shadowing his face. "Hate to sound uncool but let's take this someplace else, eh?"

...

Caitlyn groaned when she saw everyone else head her way. She raised an eyebrow at Peggy who shrugged in reply.

Surprisingly, the cabin for the slumber jam fit all of them perfectly with their entourage stance.

"Just get it over and done with." Caitlyn sighed, facing Nate.

Nate took a deep breath in and closed his eyes. "Yes, Brayden's mine. Yes, I should have told you but... you would have thought differently of me."

Caitlyn shook her head, watching him open his eyes. "Do you honestly think that I am in a position to judge you?"

"No... but, I was 18. I wasn't married either-"

"Do you love her?"

"No."

"Do you love him?"

"Yes."

Caitlyn smiled a little. "After the initial shock, I believe that we are going to be just fine. And I would love to meet him, properly."

Mitchie's eyes widened. "That quick? Damn, what have you done to the real Caitlyn? She would have held a grudge for months on end!"

"I'm getting older," her friend replied, hugging her knees. "A little more mature and I guess, a little more crazy."

Shane smiled, ruffling her hair and receiving a flinch and a glare in return.

"Any more secrets?" he asked.

Lola raised her hand. "I have a kid too," she admitted. "And I'm engaged to his father."

"Awh!" The girls cooed, desperately grabbing her phone for pictures.

"Yeah, he's one years old and he's amazing."

"Do we know his daddy?" Ella asked.

Lola shook her head. "I met him in England. I've been living there for a couple of years now."

"So, what brought you back to the States?" Peggy asked her, taking her time to coo at the pictures as well.

"You guys. This. Camp Rock. This is where we were made." Lola told them. "This is where we belong."

Mitchie smiled wistfully. "Because our time is here and this is our summer."

"And this is our song." Shane finished for her.

...

"That's enough drama for now!" Caitlyn sighed happily as she got ready for bed.

Mitchie chuckled. "Yeah. I feel inspired again."

Caitlyn sat beside her on her bed and sighed. "Can I have my own solo career?"

"Why do you even have to ask? It's your life and I think you're amazing. No matter what, we're still sisters."

Her friend smiled as tears slipped down her cheeks. "That means a lot. Especially since Cath's not going to be around for my birthday this year. Nor is Jesse."

"You never talk about your brother. You were twins, right?" Mitchie asked, crossing her legs.

Caitlyn nodded. "He died when we were twenty. About two weeks after our birthday. It was Leukemia and it was so aggressive in the end. He ran three marathons and he lived a full life but... no young adult should go through that, let alone a child."

Mitchie sniffed, wiping her own tears. "So, it's just you?"

"Yeah, I'm the last one standing and even then... my days are practically numbered. I'm ill, Mitch. Everything around me is changing and people expect me to adjust every time but I'm so tired..."

"I know." Mitchie cried. "Same here. I didn't want to tell you in case it triggered something but... my depression's getting worse. The haters are getting to me and I thought that I could escape it in camp but-"

They were disturbed by the door opening and suddenly, hugs.

"Everything's going to be okay," Jason told them, kissing both their heads as they cried.

"How do you know that, Jase?" Caitlyn asked. "You don't know how bad it is."

Jason sighed. "You're right, I don't. But I know you both really well. I've watched you grow both in front of me and in the media and I can tell that you're trying your very best to keep it all together but you need to share each other's burdens so it doesn't get on top of you. I know you may think I'm a bit of an airhead and I don't realise what's happening around me but I am more alert than you all think. I've known that you've both had your issues and are currently battling them but I want you to know as a surrogate brother to the _both of you_ that I'm here. Forget Nate, forget Shane. _I'm here_."

"We love you, Jase," Mitchie whispered.

"I love you both, too."

...

Nate looked up from his laptop as Shane stopped strumming his guitar.

Wendy walked in and sat on the sofa across from them, a deep frown on her face.

"I want to divorce Jason."

The two males looked at each other before turning to face their sister-in-law.

"Why?" They asked.

Wendy sighed, shrugging. "I can't handle it anymore. It seems as if I am the only one committed to our relationship. There are these girls that he stalks all the time, you know! Mitchie, Caitlyn and this Mara chick. He's so dedicated to Kelly but he isn't to me. I'm just his biggest mistake and I can see that in his eyes."

Nate sighed. "Why are you telling us this?"

She sniffed, wiping her eyes. "I honestly don't even know. I don't even know you guys, let alone know your favourite colour." She closed her eyes and hung her head. "But you know Jason better than I do and I'll even make this easier for him because I know he adores our little girl so much. He can have full parental rights and I'll be moving to Holland after the divorce is finalised."

Shane gasped. "You're ditching your daughter?"

"No! I'll still be in contact, hopefully, if Jason lets me but I don't want him to hate me so I think that letting him have Kelly is the best choice."

"This is all just because he stalks our friends?" Nate asked.

Wendy raised her eyebrows. "They're your friends?"

"Yeah, Mitchie Torres, Caitlyn Gellar, and Mara Paves. We're all close-ish but Jason doesn't stalk them, he's sort of their guardian angel or something. He's closer to them than we are." Shane confessed.

Nate nodded. "Long story short, we both hurt two of them."

"Oh. But it's not even that he 'stalks' these girls... He's obsessed with this Mara girl. I don't even know when they met or how he knows her."

"Look, you're just being paranoid," Shane told her. He didn't even know why he was trying to change her mind. He knew that Jason was in love with Mara but something about Nate's problem with his ex and current girlfriends regarding his nephew made him feel sorry for his niece.

Wendy scoffed. "Am I? I know you both don't think highly of me. I see your raised noses and your judgemental looks but I'm not a bad person here. I've committed myself to this marriage even though I wanted it annulled. I love Jason but not enough to get my heart and soul broken in the process."

Nate placed his laptop beside him and sat up straighter to face her. "We understand, we totally do. And we're going to help you through the process but you do realise that Jase's our brother, right? We won't do anything that hurts him in the process."

"I understand. I just wanted to talk this out with you, see if I'm doing the right thing."

"You're doing the right thing," Shane said.

Wendy nodded. "Okay, thank you. I better leave, it's late and I left Mrs. Torres with Kelly."

"Good night," Nate said.

"Good night," Shane chorused.

Their sister-in-law smiled. "Good night." And then she left.

Shane let out a puff of air. "Well, that was hard."

"Tell me about it. I feel sorry for Kels. I barely know our niece and I feel _sorry for her_."

"Same."

Nate smiled a little. "Bet you also feel sorry for Brady."

"Bro, I feel sorry for all the kids of the Gray legacy." Shane laughed.


	11. A Special Moment

Caitlyn opened her eyes and jumped at the sight of a giant inflatable teddy bear. "Mitchie! What the f-"

"Happy Birthday!"

"It's nearly 12 AM!" Caitlyn groaned.

Shane chuckled from Mitchie's bed and stood up, giving her a large bowed box. "From Nate, to wear at your midnight birthday party."

Caitlyn's mood suddenly went from 0 to 100 as she threw open the box and blushed at the hot red two piece swimsuit. "When did he get this?"

"Came in a couple of hours ago. Our aunt owns a... Anyway, put that on and I'll see you girls in ten." Shane said, giving them a thumbs up before dashing out of their room.

Mitchie sat beside Caitlyn and gave her a tight hug. "I got you something better than that inflatable bear which we are going to ruin in the lake," she chuckled, reaching beside her.

"Wait! Give it to me in front of Shane's face so you can totally win your bet." Her friend said.

Mitchie smiled and nodded before standing up. "Well, let's get dressed. Don't want to keep everyone waiting, do we?"

"Honey, I can be fashionably late." Caitlyn giggled.

...

Nate paced, his favourite guitar firmly held in his arms.

"Dude, you're making Kelly dizzy!" Jason said, bouncing his daughter up and down on his knee.

Nate stopped and his face softened at Kelly's grin. "Give her here."

Jason laughed and happily gave his child to his brother to fret on. "You're lucky that she's normally awake around this time."

Shane jogged over to them and kissed his niece's head. "They'll be here soon. Everything set up?"

Nate nodded. "I spotted your gift earlier on. Mara's cousin set you up?"

"Something like that," Shane smirked. "Hey, do you think Mitch and I can get along? Now that everything's out?"

Jason shrugged. "I think it's best to give her time. Mitchie and Caitlyn are still fragile at the moment."

His brother sighed, sitting beside him. "Are you sure?"

"Trust Jay, he's sure," Nate assured him, smiling as his son ran up to him.

"Mommy can't come. Uncle Brown took me instead." The child said, grinning a gap tooth smile.

His uncles laughed, Shane wrestling the child onto his lap. "It's way past your bedtime!"

Brayden rolled his eyes. "But it's Daddy's girlfriend's birthday and I have my first lesson today," he whined.

Jason bumped his shoulder lightly. "Hey, in my Junior Rockers class, how about you make a card for her?"

The child nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Oh, can I?"

"Of course," Jason winked.

"She's coming!" Lola called out, taking her over shirt off to reveal a maroon swimsuit.

Ella fretted with her own suit, fixing her hair. "How do I look? Will pictures be taken?" she asked, revealing her hot pink suit.

Tess chuckled, smoothing down her light blue swimsuit. "Relax, Ells. This is the one place we can drop our perfection."

Her friend nodded. "Yeah, you're right." She turned to smile at Peggy. "You look great!"

Peggy looked cautiously down at her sunset orange one piece and flushed. "Thanks," she mumbled. "Not as great as Mara."

Mara chuckled. "Yellow's the best colour to go with." She revealed her two-piece swimsuit and nodded to Nat who wore a black swimsuit.

"Not as great as the birthday girl and her best friend heading our way!" Nat announced.

Caitlyn and Mitchie giggled at each other.

"Do you think everyone will stare?" Caitlyn asked, adjusting her bikini strap.

Mitchie nodded. "It's your birthday. Of course, they will. Plus, you look gorgeous."

Her friend blushed, twirling her red hair between her fingers. "Not as good as you look in that lime green one piece."

"Oh, this? I deliberately wore my most unattractive suit so you can shine brighter. This is your day."

"Thanks. I think they're going to die if we're not there."

They jogged up to the camp fire and joined their friends, everyone taking the time to hug Caitlyn and wish her well on her birthday celebrations.

"Thank you all for coming out here and sharing this day, this moment, with me," Caitlyn said, holding Nate's hand tightly as his other hand found his son's.

"It's five past!" Shane announced. "Jason and I will go first!"

Jason whistled and they heard the patter of numerous feet come through the dark.

"Here, girl!" Jason called out.

Suddenly, a small brown terrier dashed through the log benches and breathlessly sat in front of the two brothers.

"A dog!" Caitlyn gasped, standing up.

"Yes! A dog! For you!" Shane said proudly.

Caitlyn awed. "You got me a dog? But, Mitch-"

"You can have a dog." Mitchie sighed before grinning widely.

"Thank you! I'll name her... Nella!" Caitlyn announced, happily picking up the dog and sitting beside Nate.

Shane winked at Mitchie. "Beat that."

Mitchie only shook her head, a small smile evident on her face.

Lola had gotten the birthday girl blue hair dye, Barron and Sander had written and rapped a rap about her hair, Ella had gotten her a signed poster of Beyonce, Tess had given her an exclusive wardrobe access pass for her modelling line, Nat had given her a pair of new boots and Mara had given her the gift she had told Shane and Jason she was giving her.

That had left Nate and Mitchie.

Mitchie gave her a charm bracelet with three charms. The mic for her and two others, a SEAL badge as Caitlyn's older sister had worked for the Navy SEALS before she died and a pair of shoes, for Jesse, as he had ran marathons in his short but full life.

"Thank you..." Caitlyn whispered, tears threatening to fall as she hugged her best friend tightly.

"The badge was hard to get but, I asked your brother-in-law and he was happy to help."

"I guess that leaves... Nate." Shane said, wiping his own tears. "What? I'm a sucker for a family death," he mumbled.

Nate smiled and reached behind him, grabbing his guitar and a large box.

"Here."

"Another gift?" Caitlyn asked, blushing.

Nate nodded. "Here,"

She took the box and lifted the lid, gasping at the sight of a pure white guitar staring back at her. "It's gorgeous!"

"And it's also the guitar that you're going to perform with your first ever single. I found this, with Mitchie's help."

He gave her, her songbook and opened up a page, tapping on it.

"I knew this was missing!"

Her boyfriend and best friend chuckled. "Well, go on. I've worked out a melody for you so just get on the wheel when you can." Nate said.

Caitlyn nodded and placed her new guitar firmly on her lap and wrapped her arms around it lovingly as Nate started the chords to her song.

 ** _"Wrapped up, so consumed by all this hurt_**

 ** _If you ask me, don't know where to start_**

 ** _Anger, love, confusion_**

 ** _Roads that go nowhere_**

 ** _I know that somewhere better_**

 ** _'Cause you always take me there_**

 ** _Came to you with a broken faith_**

 ** _Gave me more than a hand to hold_**

 ** _Caught before I hit the ground_**

 ** _Tell me I'm safe, you've got me now_**

 ** _Would you take the wheel_**

 ** _If I lose control?_**

 ** _If I'm lying here_**

 ** _Will you take me home?_**

 ** _Could you take care of a broken soul?_**

 ** _Will you hold me now?_**

 ** _Oh, will you take me home?_**

 ** _Oh, will you take me home?_**

 ** _Oh, will you take me home?_**

 ** _Oh, will you take me home?_**

 ** _Oh, will you take me home?_**

 ** _Hold the gun to my head, count 1, 2, 3_**

 ** _If it helps me walk away then it's what I need_**

 ** _Every minute gets easier_**

 ** _The more you talk to me_**

 ** _You rationalize my darkest thoughts_**

 ** _Yeah, you set them free_**

 ** _Came to you with a broken faith_**

 ** _Gave me more than a hand to hold_**

 ** _Caught before I hit the ground_**

 ** _Tell me I'm safe, you've got me now_**

 ** _Would you take the wheel_**

 ** _If I lose control?_**

 ** _If I'm lying here_**

 ** _Will you take me home?_**

 ** _Could you take care of a broken soul?_**

 ** _Oh, will you hold me now?_**

 ** _Oh, will you take me home?_**

 ** _Oh, will you take me home?_**

 ** _Oh, will you take me home?_**

 ** _Oh, will you take me home?_**

 ** _[3x]_**

 ** _You say space will make it better_**

 ** _And time will make it heal_**

 ** _I won't be lost forever_**

 ** _And soon I wouldn't feel_**

 ** _Like I'm haunted, oh, falling_**

 ** _Would you take the wheel_**

 ** _If I lose control?_**

 ** _If I'm lying here_**

 ** _Will you take me home?_**

 ** _Could you take care of a broken soul?_**

 ** _Oh, will you hold me now?_**

 ** _Oh, will you take me home?_**

 ** _Oh, will you take me home?_**

 ** _Oh, will you take me home?_**

 ** _Oh, will you take me home?_**

 ** _Oh, will you take me home, home?_**

 ** _Oh, will you take me home?_**

 ** _Oh, will you take me home?"_**

There was silence as Caitlyn sang the last note and Nate took her hand in his.

"That was so beautiful," Ella whispered.

"Who knew Gellar had a good pair of pipes?" Barron asked, sniffing. "What? I get emotional at beautiful songs!"

Sander laughed. "Same here. That was great, Cait."

Caitlyn blushed, looking down at hers and Nate's entwined hands. "Thanks," she mumbled.

"Well... Who won?" Shane asked, stroking Nella's fur.

The redhead rolled her eyes playfully with a grin. "I think Nate won. But out of you and Mitchie... Definitely Mitchie."

"In your face, Gray!" Mitchie grinned.

Shane laughed. "Damn! I really was hoping to win."

"If it helps, you came a close tenth." Caitlyn joked, hugging him. "And I forgive you."

"Did you hear that? She forgives me!"

"Pipe down, Shane." Tess rolled her eyes.

Brayden yawned. "I think Caitlyn has made me sleepy, Daddy." He yawned again.

Nate chuckled. "I guess it is bedtime for you. And for everyone else."

"Indeed. Lessons start bright and early, campers!" Brown announced.

Lola scoffed. "Campers? Please!"

"Fine. _Instructors_!" Brown corrected himself with a chuckle. "Either way, get your butts to sleep."


	12. Closer But Add Some Space

Caitlyn slouched over the piano, her eyes closing slowly.

"Hey! You can't fall asleep on me, Birthday Girl! We have a lesson to teach." Mitchie yelled, nudging her arm.

Caitlyn yawned, opening her eyes. "But I'm just so tired!"

Mitchie chuckled. "It's not my fault somebody stayed up all night making out with her boyfriend."

"Shut up..." Her friend replied, sitting up straighter when their students arrived.

Mitchie giggled and clapped her hands loudly, gaining the attention of the class of 20. "Hiya! I'm Mitchie and this is Caitlyn. She's a little tired because it's her birthday but I'm sure if we could go around and sing our names, she'll wake up."

The class giggled as Caitlyn playfully rolled her eyes, expectantly waiting for the class to finish singing their names. Of course, there just had to be one Tess Tyler wannabe in the class.

"Kiara!" The blonde sang. "As in Key-ara."

Mitchie and Caitlyn shared a wary glance.

"Well, thanks guys for waking up our resident sleeper," Mitchie said. "I will put you guys in pairs and you will work on a group performance to perform at Camp Fire Jam. It's a new jam and it's going to be awesome! So...," she trailed off when Shane entered with a shy smile.

"Mitch? You're needed in the kitchen."

Mitchie frowned before placing her instructor's pad down and glanced at Caitlyn.

"Go on, I'll be fine."

Her friend nodded and followed Shane out, wondering what was up.

"Well, it's just us..." Caitlyn mumbled, picking the pad up. "Okay, if I give you a pairing, I expect you to stick with them."

And when she paired Kiara with the resident shy and quiet student, the blonde just had to react. "I don't want to be paired up with Sally!"

"It's Sabrina." The quiet girl spoke up.

Caitlyn sighed, placing a hand to her hungover head. "Look, I didn't choose the pairs so don't shoot the messenger. If it's such a problem, how about you both go solo?"

"No..., it's fine." Kiara gritted out. "I guess she can do as a backup singer."

"That's insulting. Apologise to her, please." Caitlyn raised an eyebrow.

Kiara rolled her eyes, turning to face the small brunette. "Sorry."

"Thank you. Now, your pairings are duets so that means that both parties are equal. If there is no sign of equality, you'll be disqualified." Caitlyn announced just as Mitchie rushed back in and grabbed her handbag. "Okay, start preparing!"

She went to the corner with Mitchie who looked worried. "My mom burnt her hand. It looks serious but she's playing it off."

"Go, I'll be okay with the bottle blonde sixteen-year-old," Caitlyn assured her friend.

"You sure? I'll be back as soon-"

"No, stay with your mom. I'm fine! Plus, I have my dance class after this so you'll have to get Nat or Mara to cover for you."

Mitchie winced. "They're both pre-occupied."

"Shane isn't."

"I can't ask him to-"

Caitlyn sighed. "When will you let bygones be bygones? I forgave him for ruining my sister's bridesmaid pictures by dying my hair green so why can't you forgive him for dumping you in Paris on your anniversary."

"Just because of the reasons you stated!" Mitchie said with a smile. "Plus, he was acting really shady about it and he won't tell me why."

"I'll get Nate to get it out of him. Now go and ask him!"

Mitchie blushed. "He's waiting outside."

"Then go!"

Her friend raised her hands up, her bag over her shoulder and left with a grin.

The redhead turned and faced her class. Well, this was going to be a long day.

...

"Thank God the campers are asleep!" Shane sighed, throwing himself on his bed.

Jason laughed. "The JRs were surprisingly better this year."

"Probably because my son was one of them." Nate boasted, throwing him a pillow for Kelly.

Jason shrugged. "He's no Jimi Hendrix but he'll do."

His brother gasped. "Excuse me! I have been teaching the kid how to play guitar since he was three! I think we can safely say that he's on his way to being legendary!"

"I wonder how Connie is." Shane changed the subject.

"Oh yeah, was it very bad?" Nate asked.

Shane shrugged. "Some blistering but Mitchie texted to say that she'll survive."

"Thank God because I need another Torres burger down my stomach and so does Kelly!" Jason said, kissing his daughter's head. "Hey, do you know what's up with Wendy? She's been acting really weird lately."

His younger brothers shared a glance then shook their heads.

"Nope,"

"Oh, okay." Jason frowned. "So, what are you guys doing for my 30th?"

Shane rolled his eyes at yet another sudden change of topic. "That's for us to know and for you to find out in December, bro."

"And don't forget I'm turning 25 in November!" Nate said. "My birthday should be your priority!"

"Speaking of birthdays, shouldn't your girlfriend's be your priority today?" Shane smirked.

Nate looked at the time. "4 hours until midnight. Well, I'm off. Bye!"

Kelly, being the little cute girl she was, happily waved him off, making her father and uncles laugh.

"Now, since Nate's gone, tell me the truth, Shane. Do you know why Wendy's acting strange?"

Shane sighed, deeply. "She wants a divorce!" His brother blurted out.

Jason grimaced. "I kind of knew. I just... I saw her leave your cabin the other night and got really suspicious. She seemed conflicted."

"Yeah, because you have a little girl to think about. Divorces are not easy. Look at Mom and Dad."

His older brother sighed, biting the inside of his cheek. "But we were all old enough to understand why, though."

"I guess... Dad's splitting up with wife number 3 now." Shane told him. "Seems like I'm the only one who actually follows our parents' lives. Nate just sort of left without a goodbye and became the bachelor of the century and you left for Vegas and never came home. I felt alone even though Fel and Amy were with me. Do you know that Amy's in university, now? Damn, I remember when she was born and Nate asked when the doctors were taking her back."

Jason grinned. "Then after Amy, Felix came and Nate begged the doctor to stop taking our money for 'these babies'."

"I wish we could turn back time."

"To the good old days..."

"Let's stop quoting Twenty-One Pilots, huh?" Shane chuckled, happily accepting his sleeping niece into his arms. "I just can't believe that I'm an uncle."

"What I can't believe is that you and Mitchie are still not together. It's been nearly a week, normally you would be all over each other after your multiple break-ups."

Shane winced. "This time's different, Jay. I really hurt her."

Jason decided to move the subject again. "Speaking of dad's soon to be ex-wife number 3, don't we have a half-sister?"

"Chantelle? Chanel? Something stupid like that?"

Jason laughed. "It was Lauren."

"Oh."

"You're thinking of your ex-girlfriend."

"Oh. Again. Damn, how can I confuse a three-year-old for an ex?"

Jason shrugged. "Unless you sleep with children, which is very disturbing to think about considering that you're holding my daughter, it's strange."

"Yeah, you're right. Oh! Felix's heading to university this year!"

Jason shook his head. "I really am getting old if my youngest sibling is going to university and I'm turning thirty this year."

...

"How's your mama?" Caitlyn asked, wiping her makeup off.

Mitchie yawned, stretching as she laid on her bed. "She's alright. It was just some-"

Her sentence was cut short by knocking on their door.

"Come in!" They sang.

Nate peeked through, smiling when he saw his girlfriend in her natural state. "Hey, Beautiful."

"Hey, yourself, Handsome."

"And that's my freakin' cue to leave," Mitchie smiled, heading to the bathroom with her pajamas.

Caitlyn sat on her bed and patted her side for Nate to join her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just wanted to spend the remaining four hours of your birthday with you."

She nodded with a blush. "Oh yeah, I remember that you wanted to show me a song? Before we got disrupted?"

"Oh! Uh, it was nothing. Just about an ex. Stupid really, it doesn't mean-"

"Let me hear it." Caitlyn cut in.

Nate blushed and pursed his lips in deep thought. "Only if I get a kiss."

"Depends how 'stupid' your song is."

He laughed, kissing the side of her head. "Got me there,"

Nate slipped his hand into his pocket and retrieved his smartphone, quickly putting in the pin number and getting his voice recordings up.

"Just... listen. I had my old PA sing some parts but it's just for the 'feel' of it, okay?"

"Okay..." Caitlyn whispered with a small, tired smile.

 _ **[Nate:]**_

 _ **Oh damn, oh damn, oh damn**_

 _ **I'm so perplexed**_

 _ **With just one breath, I'm locked in**_

 _ **Oh damn, oh damn, oh damn**_

 _ **I'm so perplexed**_

 _ **On that, it's almost shocking**_

 _ **I know, I know you know you're scared**_

 _ **Your heart, your mind, your soul, your body**_

 _ **They won't, they won't, they won't be careful**_

 _ **But I guess that you don't know me**_

 _ **Cause if I want you, and I want you, babe**_

 _ **Ain't going backwards, won't ask for space**_

 _ **Cause space was just a word made up by someone who's afraid to get too...**_

 _ **Close, ooh**_

 _ **Oh, so close,** **ooh**_

 _ **I want you close, ooh**_

 _ **Cause space was just a word made up by someone who's afraid to get close, ooh**_

 _ **Oh, so close,** **ooh**_

 _ **I want you close, ooh**_

 _ **Oh, I want you close, and close ain't close enough, no**_

 _ **[PA:]**_

 _ **Oh man, oh man**_

 _ **I am not really known** **for ever** **being speechless**_

 _ **But now, but now somehow**_

 _ **My words roll off my tongue right onto your lips, oh**_

 _ **I'm keeping cool while you keep smiling**_

 _ **Saying all the things I'm thinking**_

 _ **Oh man, oh man**_

 _ **I am like you so I want proof I'm what you're feeling**_

 _ **Cause if I want you, and I want you, babe**_

 _ **Ain't going backwards, won't ask for space**_

 _ **Cause space was just a word made up by someone who's afraid to get too...**_

 _ **[Both:]**_

 _ **Close, ooh**_

 _ **Oh, so close, ooh**_

 _ **I want you close, ooh**_

 _ **Cause space was just a word made up by someone who's afraid to get close, ooh**_

 _ **Oh, so close,** **ooh**_

 _ **I want you close, ooh**_

 _ **Oh, I want you close, and close ain't close enough, no**_

 _ **Cause if I want you, and I want you, babe**_

 _ **Ain't going backwards, won't ask for space**_

 _ **Cause space was just a word made up by someone who's afraid to get too... close**_

 _ **Close, ooh**_

 _ **Oh, so close,** **ooh**_

 _ **I want you close, ooh**_

 _ **Cause space was just a word made up by someone who's afraid to get close, ooh**_

 _ **Oh, so close,** **ooh**_

 _ **I want you close, ooh**_

 _ **Oh, I want you close, and close ain't close enough, no**_

 _ **Oh, I want you close, and close ain't close enough, no**_

"So..., how was it?"

"Honestly?"

Nate nodded. "You can tell me anything. If it sounds like shit or anything."

Caitlyn sighed. "I wish I was your PA right now," she grinned.

"You...!" Nate sighed a breath of relief.

"It was great, emotional and just... beautiful, babe. I guess it reflects on us."

Nate turned to face her with a frown. "How do you mean?"

"I'm afraid to get close to you in case my heart gets broken in the process. I tell you things that take me years to tell everyone else. I just... I trust you but I can't allow my heart to completely love you yet. I'm ill, you know that and maybe you'll leave me for someone who's normal so I have to make a little space between us in case that ever happens. I need to be prepared in a way so I don't go completely mental... Do you understand, Nate?"

Nate was too stunned to reply and Mitchie entered the room, her smile turning into a concerned frown.

"You guys alright there?"

Caitlyn shrugged. "I don't know. Are we, Nate?"

"I...," Nate gulped. "I get you. I-I understand. My mom felt the same way about my dad. Heck, my sister feels the same way, that's why she's still single so I'll give you space but I don't think you realise that you're some sort of drug and these past years have felt like withdrawal. I missed you so much and now that I've got you back, I want to be as close as possible but if you want space to breathe than I guess, I can live with that. You're what's important..." Nate mumbled, wiping her hair from her face.

Caitlyn gave him a small smile. "Thanks for understanding. Now, on a happier note... B&J's and Netflix on my laptop?"

"You know it. Mitch?"

Mitchie rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'm going!"

"No! Want to join us? I'll even probably let you two do my makeup or something."

Mitchie grinned, jumping onto Caitlyn's bed to hug them both.

"You two are the best couple who knows how to handle a third wheel!"


	13. Hopeful Chance Chasing

It was halfway through their movie when Mitchie suddenly paused it, turning to Nate who was wedged in the middle of the two females.

"Okay," she started with a gulp. "Do you know why Shane dumped me on our anniversary?"

Caitlyn turned to face her friend, her eyes wide. Weren't they going to be cool about this?

Nate, however, looked flustered and slowly popped one popcorn morsel into his mouth. "Why are you asking me? Why can't you ask Shane, himself?"

"I did but he was really shady about it so my newfound suspicion peaked."

"Fine. He broke up with you because it was around the time that our sister had a meltdown and was diagnosed with bipolar. It was a hard time for us and I wasn't there whereas Shane was and looked after her when our parents couldn't. He struggled, Mitch and when you went to Paris that year, Shane told me that he couldn't expect you to help him with this. It was a family issue and had to stay private. You know, he was meant to propose, not do the opposite."

Mitchie sighed. "He may be too late..." She whispered. "I'm sorry that he went through all that, shows how much he's mentally stronger than I am."

"Is Amy okay, now?" Caitlyn asked.

Nate nodded. "Perfect. She's... perfect. I miss her a lot, though. I miss all of my family a lot."

"Then why don't you go and build bridges? With your younger siblings and your parents?" His girlfriend asked.

"I'm afraid that they won't forgive me for just upping and leaving. They don't understand that I felt claustrophobic at home and needed an out. Music was the way to go and-"

"You left Jason and Shane behind to further your own career." Mitchie finished. "And now Shane's got this up and coming new band since he couldn't do it on his own and Jason settled for house-maker with a... creative dancer."

Nate chuckled lightly. "All true,"

"It's going to take more than sorry, Nate," Caitlyn told him. "Jason doesn't look like he's happy and Shane's hiding his demons. You could be the answer to all of this."

"You're both right. I gotta make it up to everyone. Thanks for being here."

"As your girlfriend, I'll always be here."

Mitchie smiled. "And as your best friend, I'll always be here too."

...

Mara drummed her fingers against her guitar as she stared at the ceiling.

"You okay there, drummer girl?" Nat asked her as she got ready for bed.

"I don't know... There's this guy..."

Nat grinned. "Who has this girl and they have a baby but! There's this other girl who fancies the crap out of him!"

"How did you-?"

"I surprisingly see everything. And I mean _everything_." Nat laughed. "Look, from what it looks like, this marriage isn't going to last long."

Mara raised her eyebrows. "What makes you say that, Natalie Fox?"

"Because the fox knows. Plus, I overheard wifey talking to Jason's brothers about a divorce."

"So, I have a chance?"

"You have a _great_ chance."

The girl grinned and strummed a happy tune on her guitar gently. "I really love him and I won't ever mind bringing up Kelly as mine."

"And you'll get married, have a boy and get a dog. The end."

"Well, don't know about the dog but I guess Kelly could be a great sister to a brother..."

Nat laughed. "Oy vey! No dirty thoughts before bed, Miss Paves!"

"'Oy vey!'" Mara mimicked. "No insinuating dirty thoughts before bed, _Miss Fox_!"

"I hate you," Nat giggled.

Mara winked back. "Like you too, creepy eavesdropper."

...

"Hey, wait up!"

Sander halted and turned to find his best friend jogging towards him.

"Yo, man. What's up? Thought you were hanging with Andy?"

Barron shrugged. "Dude's ill. Was sneezing everywhere. Told me it was hay fever so I left him to his peace with his bro."

"Ah, sucks," Sander replied as they made their way to their cabin.

"So..., any advancement on Lola?"

Sander sighed, shaking his head. "A girl like her would never get with a guy like me. And, she's engaged, remember?"

"Oh yeah. That bombs."

"How are you with Peggy?"

"Haven't had the chance to properly talk. Let alone in private. The girl is always hanging with Tyler and Pador again."

Sander smiled in sympathy. "I got you. Lola's been hanging out with that Nat Fox and Mara."

"At least they are not bottle blondes and pink obsessed beasts," Barron replied.

"Nah, they're cool. Fox has a bunch of tattoos that I'm considering getting."

"More tattoos to add to your 'My Little Pony' ones?" Barron grinned.

Sander scoffed, hitting him lightly in the shoulder. "You tell me if dragons are not cool." He laughed.

"They're cool, alright. They're cool. I'll give you that one."

"Whatever, it's late and I wanna catch some-"

"Zs!" Barron yelled out quietly before running off with Sander hot on his tails.

...

"Peggy? Have you seen my - Oh, never mind I got them!"

Peggy rolled her eyes as Ella slipped her slippers on. "Why do you need them?"

"To help me get a grip in my nightly daily yoga routine!"

Her friend turned to their blonde friend who looked back at her with a shrug.

"Says it irons out the crinkles in her body or something." Tess yawned.

Ella pouted. "But it does! My limbs feel free and energetic!"

"Aren't you meant to _de-wind_ before bed?" Peggy asked with a chuckle.

"Yes, but this helps your back."

"More like breaks it..." Tess mumbled from behind her magazine.

Peggy chuckled and closed her laptop before plugging in her phone to charge. "Well, I'm off to bed. Night." And she turned off her night lamp before sleeping.

"So help me Lord, if you're not in bed within five minutes so I can turn off the main lighting to sleep, Ella, then you're dead," Tess warned.

Ella rolled her eyes as she sat on her mat. "This is why I requested my own cabin."

" _This_ is why I requested _my own_." Tess retorted with a chuckle.

"And this is why we should never argue because we always laugh." Ella chuckled back.

Tess raised a confused eyebrow. "So we never laugh without arguing?"

"Uh, I don't... just, never mind!"


	14. Love For No Other

"What'cha doin'?"

Nate looked up from his laptop with a smile and pulled Caitlyn to sit beside him.

"Reference to Phineas and Ferb. Shame it had to end," he said. "I'm making a vlog post on my YouTube channel. Well, I can't actually be arsed to vlog so I'm doing a Q and A instead. Want to join in?"

Caitlyn nodded. "Sure, why not?" She said as she tied up her newly dyed blue hair up. "Do I have to say that we're dating or anything?"

"I'd rather we kept that private. But you could be introduced as my best friend?" Nate asked, hoping he hadn't hurt her feelings.

She responded with a grin instead. "Great because I really didn't want to break the hearts of my fans who shipped me with Nat."

"You do realise that we have the same name, only, his is without an 'e'?"

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. "Oh! You don't say!" She giggled, hitting him. "Come on, let's do this before lunch time."

Nate turned on his webcam and smiled at the camera before winking at Caitlyn. "Hey, guys! Back with another video and no... nobody was seriously hurt in the making of this video."

Caitlyn giggled at his reference to his last video when his PA ended up being catapulted into the pool and slipped as he tried to get out.

"Sorry that I haven't been posting much lately as I did say that this summer was pretty busy with my new album and me being an instructor at Camp Rock but I felt that you guys deserved this video since you've been waiting for weeks! I'm finally doing another Q and A and I've already randomly picked out questions from my hashtag, QAwithNate. Oh! And before you ask, this is my best friend in the whole wide world, Caitlyn and she will be joining with the fun today."

"Hiya! You might know me, Caitlyn Gellar, music producer and best friend of Mitchie Torres or as the daughter of the scary German actor, Til Gellar." Caitlyn chuckled. "My channel's link is in the description below, right Natey?"

Nate rolled his eyes playfully as he nudged her away. "Right, Caity." He replied in kind. "Anyway, let's get this started! First question: Are you going on tour anytime soon? Not at the moment but next year, I hope to do a couple of shows in Europe but nothing's set in stone. Caity, ask the next question, please."

Caitlyn took his iPhone and flicked her hair away from her neck and smiled. "Second question: Have you got anyone special in your life, other than your 'flings'?"

"I bet you enjoyed picking that one, huh?" Nate asked her and she nudged her eyebrows up and down with a sly grin. "Bitch." He mouthed to her. "Uh, maybe to answer the question but I won't go into any details. We sort of want to keep it private for now."

"Good answer! I bet she's watching this." Caitlyn told him with a smile. "Third question: Will you be in any more TV shows other than Scream Queens?"

"Yes, again everything is quite under wraps but you can watch Scream Queens now. Next question, my porcupine."

"What the fuck?" Caitlyn laughed. "I swear you haven't called me that since we were, like, fourteen? Just because I blew up one time after being pushed into stinging nettles, damn! Anyway, question number four: Will you ever make up with your older brothers and maybe restart C3?"

Nate shrugged. "My older brothers and I are pretty tight since we've had the chance to bond again for the first time in years but since Jason's a dad now and Shane's got another band, I doubt that Connect 3 would make a reunion but expect to see a lot more of my brothers in future videos!"

"Question five: Will you get another dog?"

"I don't think so but my girlfriend has a dog so if we ever get to the point of moving in together, I'll happily adopt the dog as well but for now, my beautiful husky, Oslo and I are happy alone. Bromance for dog years life!"

Caitlyn smiled at his answer. "Question six: Will you ever move out of the Hamptons?"

Nate nodded. "At the moment, I'm staying in the Hamptons but I will move to another area in LA to be closer to my girlfriend and the record label that I'm with at the moment so I will do a 'moving out haul' very soon in October."

"Cool. Your girlfriend's lucky if you're moving closer to her. Last time I asked you to even sit beside me, you came kicking and biting." Caitlyn joked, her heart fluttering as she realised that Nate could live next door from her and the girls.

"She knows she is," Nate smiled at her before taking his phone back. "Question seven: Are you performing in Orlando anytime soon? Yes, I am because of the recent tragic events and I feel that it's important that popular people raise awareness of these type of events as it does ultimately affect other states and other countries as a whole."

"That was a beautiful answer, Nate. Question eight: Will we hear any raw music from you? Like acoustic or no music."

Nate nodded. "I really enjoyed doing an acoustic version of 'Jealous' and 'Chains'. I also have new music being written and put in production as well so I could go completely raw with one of them."

"Nine: If you were stranded on an island and allowed three things, what will they be?"

"Caitlyn because we'll laugh about it and probably kill each other for fun. A phone with mobile data because I could use it to get help after I've finished killing Caitlyn. And a teleporter because after killing Caitlyn and realising that it would take hours until help arrives, I can just teleport home."

Caitlyn raised her eyebrows. "Fuck, Nate! Seriously, dude? You'll take me to murder me?"

"Yeah because you annoy everyone. Especially with strands of your hair all over the place and your lipstick stains and Mitchie says to get rid of you somehow!" Nate joked.

"Asshole! And final question... ten!: Is Caitlyn the hottest bitch that you'll ever know?"

"No, and the real final question, please." Nate laughed.

Caitlyn pouted. "Are you and Mitchie Torres... dating? You guys seemed pretty close after hanging out for a whole month in May, so, are you?"

She turned to face him, confusion written all over her features. So, Mitchie and Nate had met up before camp? Did they hang out? Mitchie never told her.

"No, Mitchie's not the special person in my life but she is a really close friend who I never lost contact with because we help each other especially since we are with the same label." He confessed. "Anyway, that's it for now! I hope you guys enjoyed this. Please like, subscribe and check out Caitlyn's channel and peace!"

Caitlyn had the time to quickly smile at the camera before Nate shut it off and turned to face her just as she stood up and threw his phone at him.

"So, you and Mitchie hung out? How come I didn't know of this?"

"It wasn't like that."

"You guys lied to me. I thought that Mitch and I wouldn't have seen you since five years or so ago!"

Nate sighed. "Look, it was all for publicity. We're obviously not anything because I'm with you-"

"So, if I wasn't with you, you'd be with her?"

"No, that's not what I-"

Caitlyn stopped him. "Come to think of it, you guys were pretty close back then. And now. Last night, as we watched the movie, I saw you kiss her head and she smiled up at you. You didn't do that to me."

"I did that as a brother!"

"So, you'd kiss her... as a brother? And avoid me... as a boyfriend?"

Nate stopped to think about what to say next but it was already too late, Caitlyn had left and slammed the door on his heart, shattering it.

...

"You lying bitch!"

Mitchie, Mara, Nat, Lola, Tess, Peggy and Ella looked up from their private lunch club in the kitchen.

"Who, me?" Tess asked from beside Mitchie.

"No! Mitchie!"

Mitchie frowned. "Cait, what's up? What did I do?"

Connie, who heard the commotion, entered with Shane behind her.

"Cosying up to my boyfriend, that's what you did! Hanging out with him in May, all close and lovey-dovey. Last night, kissing him beside me-"

"That was on the cheek! And I kissed him as a sister would do! Have you forgotten that I was with Antonio-"

"You were and are not with Antonio. Sure, you like him but you were never together! Nate told me everything-"

Mitchie sighed. "Then you would know that it was all for publicity."

"Was last night's hugs and kisses for publicity? What I can't get over is the fact that you lied to me for years! You lied saying that you hadn't seen him in years but it turns out it was only two-three months ago!"

Mitchie's eyes started to water as she stood up to reach Caitlyn. "It honestly felt like years..."

"Because that's something you'd say if you were in love with someone." Caitlyn choked out. "You've always like him, haven't you? That's why you weren't too strung up on Shane after he dumped you."

"Is this true, Mitchie?" Shane finally alerted them of his presence.

Mitchie turned to him. "Wait, is it true that you were going to propose to me, that night?"

"I was!"

"Then, no! I'm not and I've never been in love with Nate! I loved you, Shane! But you broke my heart and I found Antonio and now I'm confused."

"Because my brother's in that equation as well, isn't he?" Shane gulped. "I see it in your eyes, Mitch. You're conflicted..., but it isn't about me. It's about Nate. That's why you were so mad when you found out about Brayden."

Caitlyn realised that Shane may have been right. "Please, I have to know. Do you love Nate in the slightest bit in any way?" She whispered.

Mitchie nodded. "Yes but-"

She was replied with a slap and a door slamming. She held her cheek and saw Caitlyn's tear stained cheeks and the disturbed air that Shane had left behind him.

"I've never hated you more than I do now." Caitlyn sobbed. "I don't even want to see you let alone be in proximity to you."

With that, Caitlyn left, clutching at her broken heart.


	15. Your Light Touches in Truth

Caitlyn wished that everything didn't have to be so engrossed in drama, back-stabbing and bitching but sometimes life carried those things with a stride.

She sat by the lake, bringing her knees up to her chin as she watched the troubled waters crash against the pillars that held her.

"Hey," she heard.

Shane sat beside her and from his tone, she could tell that he'd been crying too. Who wouldn't after your potential wife loved your brother more than she loved you?

"Hey."

"I don't know what to say or do, Caitlyn." Shane sighed, fiddling with a strand on his shirt as his other hand found his brightly coloured hair.

Caitlyn shrugged. "Start again, move on. Find someone other than Mitchie."

"I can't... I guess what Nate said about you was true."

Her attention peaked as she turned to face him. "What?"

"You're like a drug to him. Mitchie's the same to me. We both fell hard for you girls and without you both for these past years have been torture."

"I can't imagine what it must have been like for you."

Shane chuckled bitterly. "Yeah, getting into drugs because of my issues probably wasn't a great idea." He shuffled so that his legs hung over the deck. "Uncle Brown got me out of that funk, not my parents. Told me that this place would help and it did in a way."

"But didn't your new sound help? Or your new band?"

"They did and they're amazing but sometimes, family values are valued more than friendship."

Caitlyn nodded. "I can't believe we're having a civil relationship..."

"Same here. Look, I know you don't care but Nate would never go after Mitchie. He loves you. I can tell because all summer, he hasn't stopped talking about you or fantasising about you. You're his everything after Brayden. And as for Mitchie... well, God knows. I don't know what's been going through her mind but I do know that this Antonio guy's a potential husband for her. Connie told me about them."

Caitlyn rubbed her face and groaned loudly. "I know that Nate would never love her and do that to me but the fact that he failed to tell me hurts me and the fact that my best friend has feelings for him as well?"

"Potential feelings."

"She said she loved him."

"Then she responded with 'but'," Shane argued. "There might still be a chance for all of us, Cait."

She shook her blue locks and shrugged. "How?"

"We both need to not be so abrupt and we have to be willing to listen for once."

"Who did you talk to?" Caitlyn smiled a little.

Shane laughed. "Funnily enough, Dee. She's great when it comes to this stuff."

"Good on her," Caitlyn smiled. "Come on then, let's listen to what they have to say."

...

"Dad!"

"Not now, Brayden!" Nate snapped as he packed away his laptop and camera.

The young child stepped away hurt as tears threatened to fall.

Nate sighed and closed his eyes before turning to his son. "Sorry, Brady... Daddy's just upset but you can tell me what you want, okay?"

"I wanted to show you a picture I made of you and Caitlyn..." Brayden replied quietly as he stuffed the picture in Nate's hand and looked away.

Nate's heart broke even more as he stared at the childishly drawn picture of Caitlyn kissing his cheek and hearts erupting from the action. "It's... great, buddy."

"You really think so?" Brayden asked, wiping his eyes.

"I do, come here." Nate sighed happily as he held his son in his arms tightly.

"Why are you upset?"

His father flinched as he placed him back down and sat on the bed. "Caitlyn and I got into a little fight."

"Oh. Did you hurt each other?" Brayden asked, joining his father on his bed.

Nate nodded. "We said some hurtful things but don't you worry, it will be okay."

"Okay! I have to go back, now. Uncle Jason's teaching us how to spot birds!"

"Really?" Nate chuckled. He wouldn't have expected any less from the bird-loving big brother of his. "Then again, it is your Uncle Jason and he loves birds."

"They're alright. He showed us pictures of a really colourful one, parrots!"

Nate grinned. "Well, you better go before he starts looking for you."

"Okay, bye!" Brayden said as he ran out through the door.

Nate smiled, feeling slightly happier. His mood changed, however, when Tess Tyler and Nat Fox came through the door soon after.

"Here he is," Tess announced, smirking at him.

"Tess? Nat? What-?"

"You hurt Caitlyn, so I'm going to hurt you." Nat cut him off, her eyes narrowing into a glare.

Nate rolled his eyes. "For your information, _Nat,_ I didn't hurt her intentionally. She got hurt by the truth and I'm willing and hoping to explain more to her if she'll let me."

"I guess I will."

Everyone turned to face Caitlyn who stood hesitantly by the door. "Can you excuse us, please?" Shane asked Nat and Tess who blushed and left the trio in peace.

"I've sent for Mitchie. We're going to solve this once and for all." Caitlyn mumbled, sitting down on Nate's bed.

"Caity... I'm-"

Shane protectively stood in front of her. "Let's wait until Mitchie gets here," he said.

Nate looked taken aback but failed to respond as Mitchie finally turned up, opting to stand near the door in case a quick exit was needed.

"Hey," she mumbled, crossing her arms.

Caitlyn sighed. "I want to listen to what you have to say first, Mitchie."

It was the unspoken rule between them. Sisters before misters. Although, this was a very special case and that rule may not even be viable.

"First of all, I'm _not_ in love with Nate and I will never be. Caitlyn, in May, Nate and I bumped into each other and hung out for the first time in years. He was asking me about you and I asked him about Shane and a few home truths spilt. He told me that he and Shane hadn't spoken in a long time and he lost contact with Jason and I felt bad for him so as a real friend, I hung out with him since he didn't have any friends. Not once did he forget to ask about you every time we met up. Caitlyn, he loves you and I... well, God knows who my heart really belongs to. It wasn't long until Henderson got wind about us hanging out and forced us to 'pursue a mild relationship publicly'. I didn't want to because I knew how you felt about him for all of these years, especially when he was with Dana. Nate didn't want to because of you, especially since his public image isn't the best at the moment. I love Nate but I'm not _in love_ with him." She took a deep breath and turned to Shane. "Shane, I am in confliction because of you. Seeing you again got me realising what I was missing when we were together. The reason why I wasn't too strung up was because I didn't want to mix my personal issues with my professional issues and I was about to go on a tour and I couldn't handle all the emotional stress our breakup had. Then, I learnt to shut my feelings out."

"And when you were upset about Nate being a dad?" Shane asked.

"I was thinking of Caitlyn," she said, turning to face her best friend. "Nate dating Dana tore you up and you were quite depressed for a while. But Nate being Dana's child's father? I was scared that you'd do something stupid and be even more depressed. Then I learnt about something new about you and I realised that you were stronger than I thought you were and I should really stop seeing you as fragile."

Caitlyn pouted before smiling a little. "Sisters before misters?"

"Always," Mitchie grinned, hugging her friend.

The bluehead then turned to her somewhat boyfriend and smiled lightly. "I guess your version's already spoken for."

"You sure? Because I have a whole lot of things to say-"

"Don't push it," she smirked.

Mitchie stood up and walked over to Shane. "I think we should have a little chat. Please?"

He looked over to where Nate and Caitlyn were kissing and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, let's go before they start dry humping or something."

She chuckled and nodded, happily accepting his offer to go before him as they stepped into the humid air.

"So..., my cabin?"

"Yeah," Mitchie smiled.

...

"Brown, take it easy!" Dee scolded as Brown heavily sat down at his desk. "You're going to have to tell them sometime."

"I'd been talking about it to Shane and Jason, the night of the storm. I've made a decision. Dee, as my wife and consort, you'll be taking over Camp Rock with the boys as your head managers. Jason will be your successor."

Dee was gleeful, delighted and happy all the same but there was a tugging at her heart. "You forget the other thing that you have to tell them about. Your children, Ethan and Ruby."

"They don't want a stupid old camp."

"'Stupid old camp'? This is your legacy! This is your heartbeat! Your children are stupid to not want this let alone get to know their cousins!"

"Those are your stepchildren-"

"And I'll be the wicked stepmother if I have to. Ethan's what? 34? And Ruby's 19. I think Jason, Shane and Nate ought to know about their cousins and that their uncle is sick!"

Brown sighed, his eyes closing as his wife went off on one. He loved the boys as if they were his own but all of them had recently found scraps of happiness for the first time in years. Who was he to burst their cloud nine bubbles?

"Brown, are you even listening?"

Brown's face suddenly contorted with pain as he clutched tightly at his chest. "My-my chest, it-it hurts,"

"Brown?!" Dee shrieked. "Hey, I'll call the ambulance! You'll be okay! I promise!" She sobbed, her fingers shaking as she dialled 911.

There was a knock on the door and Jason entered, Kelly strapped to his chest. "Hey, Uncle Brown, I just wanted-"

"Get help!" Dee screamed at him, holding Brown to her as she placed the phone on her ear.

"Uncle Brown!" Jason gasped before rushing out.

Dee turned back to her husband, tears running down her cheeks. "You'll be okay. I promise."

...

Shane leaned in close to Mitchie and her eyes dropped to his lips, licking hers as they did so.

It was light.

It was powerful.

It was short.

"Shane! Brown's having a heart attack!"

Shane jolted back from Mitchie, fear written in his eyes as he ditched the girl he so desperately fought for and followed his older brother to their younger brother.

They found Nate slipping on a shirt and heard his girlfriend in the bathroom.

"Don't even want to know what you two did and that doesn't matter because Brown's having a heart attack," Shane told him, causing Nate to push past his brothers and head to their uncle's cabin.

Dee was full on sobbing when she saw the boys enter and gestured to their uncle's limp body. "He's still breathing but... I don't know what to do!"

Nate was quick in his actions to gently place Brown on the ground and put him in the recovery position. He looked back to where his older brothers were frozen in spot, tears forming in their eyes.

"Shay, Jay, I know that this is scary but... Mom's hoping for us to save him. Aunt Dee, call her, please." He instructed, gently rubbing his uncle's back. "Shay, Jay, do something useful!"

"I'll-I'll go wait for the-the ambulance," Shane whispered, a sob escaping from his lips as he exited.

Jason looked down at his daughter and at his aunt. "I'll give Kelly to her mom. Then, I'll arrange for our friends to sort out the place."

"Thank you," his brother mouthed to him before sending a watery smile to his aunt. "We're going to be okay." He told her.


	16. Count On Me

**Denise Gray: Brown's younger sister and Shane, Jason and Nate's mother.**

 **Amelia Gray: 20, Shane, Jason, Nate and Felix's sister.**

 **Felix Gray: 18, Shane, Jason, Nate and Amelia's brother.**

 **Ethan Cesario: 34, Brown's son.**

 **Ruby Cesario: 19, Brown's daughter.**

 **Oh, and I'm making Caitlyn's dog a husky :)**

* * *

The three brothers sat quietly, hugging each other as Mitchie, Mara and Caitlyn sat in front of them in the relatives' room.

Dee had long since went to follow up with the doctor who was tending to Brown. That was an hour ago.

The door quietly opened and a beautiful, slender, ginger-haired woman waltzed in, her arms immediately opening to engulf the boys.

"I'm here, now. Everything will be okay."

"Mrs Gray," Mitchie acknowledged. Caitlyn gave her a meek wave before looking down at her bracelets.

"Mitchie, Caitlyn, Mara." The older woman responded in kind. "It's lovely to see you, girls. Especially supporting my boys."

A teenage boy suddenly walked in, a sad smile on his features. "They're not your only boys."

"Felix!"

Nate got up to hug his brother tightly as Shane and Jason joined them. "Brothers' group hug," Jason smiled, making his brothers groan.

"The best kind," Shane replied, despite the annoyance.

"God, don't make me feel left out boys!" A thick Australian accent rang through in the air as Amelia Gray flicked her golden brown hair over her shoulders. "I'm your sister and I share the uncle who is in hospital too,"

"Who can forget you?" Nate mumbled, hugging his sister.

Amelia shook her head. "We're all back together. It feels like light years since I saw you and Jason."

"Life got different," Jason told her.

Their sister nodded. "It did, alright! I have a niece and a nephew which I never knew about! And a sister-in-law!"

"Amy, dear, I'm just as surprised as you are," Their mother said. "I did know about Brayden but Kelly and Wendy were another things, Jason! We had to learn about all of this from Brown."

"How is he, by the way?" Caitlyn cut into their family reunion.

Mrs Gray paled. "I just spoke with Dee; they've had to put him in an induced coma."

"It's our faults. For stressing him," Shane whispered, his eyes becoming watery.

Their mother shook her head. "No! You mustn't think such things, Shane! To be honest, Brownie has been quite ill for some time."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Felix asked.

"He loves you all as if you were his own so that automatically meant that he didn't want you guys to get hurt-"

"But we're hurting now!" Nate told her. "Do you know how scary it was to be the only one who knew what to do? Dee was crying her head off, Shane was too distracted and Jason wanted to leave the first minute he got there. It was scary, Mom, seeing him on the ground. We thought he was dead and now he might as well be as good as!"

A scoff broke them from the attention on Nate and they turned to the door.

"Nice to know you've put a price on our father's head." A thick British accent replied.

"Who the hell are you?" Shane asked rudely, causing Mitchie to place a hand on his shoulder. "What do you mean by 'our father'?"

Ethan stepped in fully, giving an attractive view to Mitchie, Mara, and Caitlyn. His sister, Ruby, soon followed after him.

"I'm Ethan, Ethan Cesario and this is my little sister, Ruby Cesario." He replied, emphasising 'Cesario'.

"Brown-Brown had children?" Caitlyn whispered.

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, he did and he still does. We live in England."

"You've never cared about him until now, you selfish brats!" Denise muttered darkly.

"Of course, we cared about him, Aunt Denise!" Ethan yelled. "He's our dad-"

"But you didn't want his camp. His legacy. You two left him and believed the horrible things that your mother told you guys about him."

"And we don't even know you..." Amelia added quietly.

Ruby sighed, rubbing her head. "It's not our fault that our father never told you guys about us."

"You're right, it's not," Jason said, calmly. "Us arguing now isn't going to help him get better. It's nice to meet you and we wish we had met you under better circumstances."

Ruby begrudging rolled her eyes at her cousin's words. "It's nice to meet you all too. And it's kind of nice to see you again, Aunty Denise."

Denise scoffed and walked out of the room, a sour look on her face.

"Don't mind our mother," Jason apologised. "Look, girls... You don't really have to be here."

Mara stood up. "But we want to."

Nate agreed with Jason. "I think we just need to be with our family for now."

Caitlyn raised an eyebrow but Mitchie placed a hand on her shoulder, pulling them both up. "Let's go, girls. They'll call when they need us."

"Thanks," Shane whispered to her. Mitchie simply nodded and gently pushed her friends out.

"Did they really have to go?" Amelia asked. "I was hoping to get to know your girlfriends better,"

"Mitchie's not my girlfriend."

Amelia grinned. "Okay, she's your ex-fiancée turned good friend?"

"We were never engaged, to begin with," Shane mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. "I bailed out, okay. That's why we're still walking around eggshells with each other."

"Why?" Felix asked.

Amelia sighed. "Because of me." She picked at the chipping varnish on her nails. "Shane dumped Mitchie on their anniversary, the day which was meant to be their happiest since he was going to propose to her, because of me. Jason probably left us for Vegas, because of me. Nate's probably the way he is now, because of me."

"No!" Her brothers yelled.

"Amelia, it wasn't your fault that you were sick! I made the decision to let Mitch go and I don't regret it. I still have a chance with her, it's not too late." Shane said, hugging her.

Amelia was already in tears as she looked towards the direction of her favourite brother.

"No, I left for my own selfish reasons which changed me. But Caity's got that covered." Nate smiled at her.

"And... After C3 disbanded, I left for Vegas because I was looking for something new and Wendy was that. Now we have a daughter that I never ever will regret having. She's like you in so many ways."

"Young, pretty?" Amelia joked.

"Definitely," Jason smiled. "Now, I think you deserve a big bear hug."

Amelia groaned. "I'm upset but not that - okay!" She cut herself off when Jason and the rest of her brothers squished her into a warm hug.

Ruby and Ethan watched on, jealousy setting onto their features. These siblings had a strong bond. One they didn't have themselves.

...

"Caitlyn! I walked Nella for you!"

Caitlyn turned and smiled at Brayden who, compared to her dog, was small. "Thank you, Brayden!"

"Do you know where my dad is? I've been looking for him for ages!"

Caitlyn giggled, ruffling his hair at his exaggeration. "He'll be back soon. How about I take Nella back and you go and play with the other JRs?"

"Okay!"

Brayden happily gave Caitlyn the lead and ran off, joining a group of his new friends. Caitlyn sighed and let Nella lead her to their cabin, meeting Mitchie inside.

"Hey, pretty lady," Caitlyn smiled.

Mitchie looked up from her song book with a smile. "Hiya, pretty woman!"

"Have you heard from the guys yet?"

Mitchie shook her head, standing up to stretch and yawn. "We're in charge for the day. I've got Mara co-ordinating and the gang taking up double classes."

Caitlyn nodded, setting up a food tray for Nella. "It's nearly dinner, we're going to have to get people in to eat in groups."

"Yeah, we're short staffed today... Brown forgot to get extra help and my mom asked too late. I'm heading over there to help."

"I'll join you."

When they got there, they saw Lola, Ella, Tess and Peggy already helping out Connie and two of her kitchen staff.

"Sorry, girls. We're running a bit far behind but Mara and Nat are co-ordinating groups of forty depending on classes."

"It's fine, Mama. It's just shocking that we've got over 120 students this year!"

Connie halted in washing the vegetables. "Any news, mija?"

"Not yet. I think they forgot their phones in the haste. But we'll hear soon." Mitchie replied, getting her and Caitlyn aprons.

"Where do you want us?"

Connie grinned. "Mitchie, Caitlyn, you are on dessert duty. We're having chocolate orange cake. I think either vanilla or chocolate custard would be fine."

The girls nodded, smiling at their friends as they got on with their work.

Thirty minutes later, Caitlyn felt arms wrap around her waist and jump.

"Smells good."

"Nate," she gasped, turning around to give him a quick kiss. "How's Brown? Where's Shane and Jason?"

Nate chuckled, dipping his finger in the chocolate frosting. "Jason's still at the hospital but Shane and I drove Ethan and Ruby here. Brown's going to be okay, he woke up an hour ago."

"Thank goodness," Mitchie smiled. "I'm going to see Shane,"

"Sure, leave me all alone to make dessert!" Caitlyn teased.

Mitchie rolled her eyes. "Nate, you're not an invalid, I think you can help your damsel in distress."

"While you search for your knight in shining armour?" Nate played along.

The brunette glared at him before blushing. "We're just-"

"Good friends!" Her friends teased her.

"Whatever!" She giggled, leaving the kitchen.

Caitlyn turned to face Nate. "Don't just stand there! Help!"


	17. I'm Here For You

Mitchie knocked thrice on the door, calling out Shane's name.

"Shane? It's me, Mitchie."

She heard voices, one raised over Shane's and she sighed, opening the door anyway. She then spotted Ethan and Ruby, not looking impressed with Shane.

"Nate's with Cait so I came to check on you."

Shane gave her a small smile. "You didn't have to, Mitch."

She responded in kind. "I wanted to." She then turned to face the siblings. "Dinner's ready soon. I hope you are hungry?"

"No, thanks." Ethan spat out.

Ruby blushed. "I'm fine, thank you."

"The food's great here! My mother's the chef-"

"I don't care if it was the President's own personal chef! I do not wish to eat and as you can see, I am talking to my cousin." Ethan cut her off.

Shane's eyes flashed. "Excuse you! This is my friend, Mitchie and you have no right to talk to her like that!"

"No, Shane. It's fine. I'll see-"

"You're staying. And Ethan? You better hold your tongue otherwise my fist will be meeting with your cheek."

...

Connie playfully rolled her eyes for the tenth time that day and wiped her hands with her dish rag.

"Caitlyn, Nate, how about we finish up here and you go and get ready for dinner."

"Connie, let us help!" Caitlyn smiled, hitting Nate's hands from her waist.

Lola rolled her eyes. "The sexual tension is high in here. Get out, the both of you."

Caitlyn giggled and rolled her eyes, dragging Nate behind her through the door.

"Three guesses for what they're going to do." Ella joked.

Tess shook her head. "Dinner's in five and I doubt Nate's that quick."

"You'll be surprised! I've heard stories!" Peggy laughed, placing trays into their serving holes.

"Ladies, I do not wish to hear about anyone's sexual escapades, especially Caitlyn's!" Connie chuckled, making them all laugh.

Just then, a very tired Jason entered, yawning. "Hey, everyone!"

Connie hugged him and patted his back. "Hey, Jason. How are you?"

"Fine. I'm in charge for the time being but I have a feeling that Brown's son is going to have a say about that."

"You're a head manager, it's highly plausible and your cousin is a jerk," Lola told him.

Jason shrugged. "Well, I've stopped over by Shane's cabin and Ethan's a bit of a hot head. I wonder how that's going to work with Shane's issues."

"Shane has grown a lot. He'll be fine!" Ella assured the eldest Gray child.

"You're right. Now, who's sexual escapades were you talking about?"

The girls looked at each other, giggling. "Nate's."

"Oh! God! No!" Jason cringed, running out of the kitchen.

...

Nate sat Caitlyn down on his bed and gave her a sweet kiss. "Babe, I have something to tell you."

"Pray, tell," Caitlyn smiled.

"Basically, I got a call and I accepted the offer..."

Caitlyn frowned. "Offer to what, exactly?"

"A new tour. It's in Europe and I need backup dancers and a supporting act."

His girlfriend frowned even deeper as she stood up abruptly. "Nate! How could you agree to this! I don't even have songs to play or anything so supporting act is out of the question."

"But I want us to be together. That's why I did this!"

She sighed. "Why not Shane and his new band?"

"And you'll be my dancer?"

"I... I have to think about this because I kind of accepted an offer to go and judge on that dance show."

Nate frowned. "Oh yeah."

"Nate..., is this really what you want? Don't you want a break?"

"It is. And I thought that we could do it together. I've been apart from you for years and..."

"I know," Caitlyn whispered. "I'll think about it."

Nate tilted his head. "Will you really?"

Caitlyn shrugged. "Of course I will, Nate."

...

Mara sat beside Jason, dipping her boots into the lake below. "Hey."

"Hi, Mara."

"How are you?"

Jason smiled at her. "Fine, thank you. You?"

"I'm well. Look, I'm here if you need-"

She was met with a kiss and her hands immediately went around his neck, pulling him closer.

"I missed you."

"I missed you, too," she breathed out.

Jason sighed, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I'm getting a divorce... My uncle's in a coma... I'm a single father... I have no steady job..."

"Jase... It's fine, I'm here for you. And Kelly."

"You really still want me?"

"Of course, bird brain!" Mara smiled, kissing him. "I've always wanted you. I was scared to say so because I thought you were in love with Wendy."

"I'm not, I never was."

"Good."

...

"I've given them my cabin," Shane mumbled, meeting Mitchie outside.

She had gone to wait as the tension was too great for her to bear. "You can bunk with Nate."

"Seriously? The guy who sleeps with his girlfriend on _every_ surface?" He joked.

Mitchie laughed. "You're right. Jase has a spare bed. Wendy left this afternoon."

"Where's Kelly?"

She smiled at his concern for his niece. "Dana's helping out with babysitting. Kelly's technically her son's cousin, so..."

"Yeah. Imagine your friend, Nat, helping out in that area."

"She wouldn't last!" Mitchie giggled.

"I'll bunk with Jase. It won't be for long, anyway."

Mitchie took his hand. "Shane?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm here."

He placed a kiss on her cheek and gave her a smile. "I-"

"Shane Gray?"

Shane and Mitchie turned to face the woman in question but it was Mitchie's eyes who widened the most.

"Lana?!"

...

Caitlyn sighed and turned to face Nate who was busy calling his agent. She loved him. She wanted to be with him. But it was too soon. She had to do something for _her_. Being Nate's backup dancer was not what she had in mind when she was thinking of stepping out from the shadows. And judging and choreographing on her favourite dance show, Dance Fusion sounded _amazing_!

When he finished the call he turned to her with a smile. "The tour's starting next year, February. It will be three days per week and ends in March."

"So, twelve shows?" Caitlyn asked.

"Yep."

Caitlyn nodded. "Well, Mitch and I have scheduled to hang out for these next four months and Dance Fusion starts in June... I can do it!"

"Can you, really?"

Caitlyn grinned. "Yeah. It'll be a blast!"

Knocking on the door stopped them from kissing.

"Come in!"

Mitchie entered, Shane behind her and a brunette woman behind them.

"Caitlyn..."

She looked up and smiled but frowned when she saw the woman. "Lana?"

"Hi." Lana waved meekly. "It's been too long."

Caitlyn swallowed hard as she tried to keep her tears in. "You're really here."

"I am. I... I'm here to inspire people who want to become singers in the future. I'm a guest speaker."

Lana Keegan had been singing since the age of sixteen and eight years later, she still looked a pretty sight.

"Jesse would have been proud..." Caitlyn mumbled.

Shane and Nate looked at each other. _Who's Jesse_?

"I remember the day he proposed." Lana smiled.

"I don't know you that well, Lana. I've seen pictures from Caitlyn of you and-and Jesse. You were both very happy." Mitchie said, softly.

Lana nodded. "We were. We were young and in love. He was my present and future."

"Who is Jesse, exactly?" Shane asked.

"Yeah, who's Jesse?"

Caitlyn sighed, closing her eyes. "Jesse _was_ my twin brother."

"And my late fiancé..." Lana added.

Nate stared at Caitlyn. "You never told me about your brother."

"Because he was sick! He had cancer and... I didn't want to think about all of that when I was here, in my happy place!"

"I'm so sorry," Shane told Caitlyn and Lana. "Lana, when we... was that?"

Lana nodded. "It was a month after he died. Four years ago, this week."

"What happened between you?" Mitchie frowned.

"I helped her home after she was nearly raped..." Shane said.

Lana smiled sadly. "You saved my life. I was really drunk, in a bad place and Jesse had just died, the love of my life. Then I was attacked and Shane saved my life. I only lost contact with him last year."

"Sorry about that." Shane apologised.

"It's fine,"

Mitchie kissed his cheek. "You were someone's hero."

"Too bad, I couldn't save myself." He whispered to her.

Nate cut in. "Caity, Jesse... Jesse's a really big part in your life and you never told me."

"Because I loved you too much to help me." Caitlyn said. "You're a great guy but can you tell me that four years ago, you would have been the man I wanted you to be? Loving, caring? Have you forgotten that it was around the time you broke a reporter's iPad when he asked you a personal question? You were a jerk and I couldn't have put up with your bullshit."

"Was Mitchie there?"

Mitchie shook her head. "I was on tour. I let Caitlyn have a year off. And more."

"I..." Caitlyn took a deep breath. "A month after Jesse died, I cut my hair off and went travelling. I visited beautiful places such as Thailand, Cambodia, Kenya... I just went on a mission to find myself and I did. In England. I went to visit Jesse's doctor as we sent him to a private hospital in the UK. Unfortunately, I met the guy on his deathbed. He had cancer too and he was only ten years older than us. I was there with his wife and best friends when he died. I'm glad I found closure. But it still stings."

"I would have been there, no matter what." Nate told her, kissing the side of her head.

Lana took her hand. "And I would have."


	18. Missing You

"Peggy!"

Peggy stopped in her tracks and turned to face Barron who was out of breath.

"Damn, girl! You move fast!" He said, breathing heavily.

Peggy chuckled. "I wasn't even running!"

"No, but you were jogging. Why?"

She shrugged, taking a sip from her water bottle. "I'm into fitness lately."

"You are? But you look perfect just the way you are!"

She raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "Girls can be into fitness for other reasons you know? I use it as a coping mechanism."

"Oh. Right, yeah." Barron laughed shyly.

"So, what did you want?" She asked, taking a step closer to him.

Barron noticed this and gave her a cheeky smile. "I was wondering if you wanted to go for a swim later on?"

"A swim?"

"Doesn't have to be... We're adults..." Barron trailed off.

Peggy burst out laughing. "You mean like sex?"

"What?!"

"Barron... I've seen you looking at me. Sander told me that you like me." Peggy said, blushing. "I wouldn't mind giving us a chance, you know? I like you too."

Barron could have leapt for joy but he kept it cool. "You, me, date, tonight."

"You, me, date, tonight, where?" Peggy teased back.

He laughed, kissing her cheek. "The lake. I'll make it special for you, chica."

"You better." Peggy smiled widely before jogging off.

...

Ella burst into her shared room with Tess and was surprised to see the bathroom door wide open and Tess throwing up.

"Tess!"

Tess jumped, slipping onto her bottom as she turned to Ella with fear in her eyes.

"Are you okay? Did you eat something bad?"

Tess was honestly thankful for Ella's oblivious ways but if this were Peggy, Lola, Caitlyn or even Mitchie, she knew didn't stand a chance with her actions. Especially since Mitchie was close to this.

"Oh..., yeah. I was feeling quite unsettled." Tess mumbled, rubbing her throat.

"Oh dear! Look, I'll tell Jason that you can't work tomorrow. Why don't you sleep and stay in tomorrow?"

Tess shook her head. "No, I'll be fine. I'm sure it will pass." Tess mumbled, flushing the toilet and going to wash her hands.

"You might want to brush your teeth too," Ella said, smiling sweetly. "Smells like death."

Tess rolled her eyes and got her toothbrush, putting toothpaste on it.

She hadn't known when this 'habit' of hers had started exactly. Stresses of being a model after a failed singing career had really affected her and she found herself listening to the popular models when they said that they purged and didn't eat much to maintain skinny figures. It wasn't a good habit but it kept them beautiful.

Ella didn't understand. Ella was perfect with her caramel hair, luscious pink lips, Asian background... She also had the body that many models wanted. Curvy but slim. Ella didn't gain weight when she ate and she could literally eat a horse if she wanted to. She hadn't turned vegetarian or vegan like Mitchie and Tess. She was proud to eat meat and stay beautiful without even trying. But to all perfections, there were imperfections. Tess knew that Ella hated her skin. No one knew but Ella had had bad acne when she was younger and most were still visible but with the right amount of foundation and concealer, Ella had managed to cover them up as well as use face masks and vitamins.

"Well, I'm off to bed. If you need anything, wake me."

Tess smiled her thanks and frowned immediately when her best friend left the bathroom. She was almost close to being caught and she felt almost sick again. No one could know. Unless... she could talk to someone about it. Someone who she recently made up with.

"Peggy..." She whined.

...

"Hey, Trouble," Lola called out to Sander. He looked up from his dancing and smiled at her.

He looked up from his dancing and smiled at her. "Hey, Lolz."

"What you working on?"

Sander shrugged, turning the music on low. "This dance piece a student's trying to crack. I want to teach him before Final Jam but I can't get it."

Lola nodded. "Show me."

Sander turned the music back on loud and started to dance, smirking at her every so often. When he was done three minutes later, he folded his arms in a cool stance.

"I know your problem."

"You do? I really need the help. Barron's got a date with Peggy."

Lola giggled. "Oh yeah, she couldn't stop talking about it in our cabin. Anyway, the music is too quick or you're too slow. You need a slower beat or a quicker stamina. I'd go with slow beat."

"But I counted the steps correctly with the music timing." Sander frowned, checking his music.

Lola shrugged. "It's easier written than done, remember? Dancing is physical, not mental."

Sander nodded, getting what she was saying. "I guess you're right, Lola. Let me make this 0.5 of a second slower."

Lola laughed. "0.5? Make it a second."

Sander frowned. "But-"

"You want this kid to do well, don't you?"

He nodded and tuned the music before restarting it and dancing. He found it was much easier and more fun to practice. "It feels better. The flow's great! Thanks!" He said when he was finished.

"And you don't sound half out of breath." Lola smiled.

"Hey!" Sander laughed, swatting her with his sweaty towel. "How's your kid?" He asked, swallowing deeply.

Lola blushed. "Oh, he's fine. Thanks."

"Good. I'd like to meet him one day. If he has a mother like you, then he's probably an expert at rapping and dancing."

And this made Lola's heart swoon.

...

"Thank you guys for showing me around. I might stick around for a while. I haven't got any pressing matters to attend to..." Lana smiled, hugging Caitlyn.

Mitchie chuckled. "Same. Singing during your vacation is so overrated!"

"Hey!" Shane teased, nudging her. "It really was great hanging out with you again, Lana."

"Feeling's mutual, Shane."

Nate checked his watch. "Yeah, most campers would be settling into bed by now."

"Do we want to go to bed or hang out for a while later?"

Nate shrugged, hugging Caitlyn close to his side. "We have a Jam tomorrow. The guys and I have to sort that out."

"We could get Nat and Mara to help out?" Caitlyn suggested.

"Yeah. Where's Jason anyway?" Shane asked. "I know that Dana's got Kelly for the night."

Mitchie and Caitlyn shared a knowing look.

"Oh, he's fine."

"Is he now?" Nate smirked, sharing his own knowing look with Shane.

Lana frowned. "Jason is fine...?"

"We have a friend. They recently got together."

"Oh, then I am happy for them." Lana grinned.

"We are too." Mitchie grinned.


	19. You've Got A Friend In Me

"Caitlyn."

Caitlyn jumped, turning around to face her good friend. "Antonio! What are you doing here?" She asked, hugging him as he lifted her up.

"Surprising you girls!" Antonio replied, smirking when he saw Nate's face. "That your new beau?"

Caitlyn blushed, nodding her head as she let go of him. "Yeah, that's Nate..."

"Nate?!"

"Antonio, we're cool!" Caitlyn assured her good friend. "He's not like what the media portrays him as. Nate's sweet and we love each other."

"No, boys like that love themselves, darling," Antonio mumbled.

She tilted her head, giving him a pointed glance. "Turns out that he was acting like that because he didn't have me."

"Because you were with Larkin?"

"Yeah. Now, why are you here, Antonio?"

Antonio gulped before fishing into his pocket to retrieve a box. "I'm tired of running around Mitchie like a headless chicken, wondering what her next move is going to be. I want us to be official and stop hiding. I want to marry her."

Caitlyn gasped as Antonio opened the box and showed her the ring. Tears sprung to her eyes when she realised that Mitchie was trying to fix things with Shane but-

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Caitlyn groaned. "No! Nate, he isn't proposing to me! He wants to propose to someone else but needs my advice."

Nate flushed. "Oh, right. I'm Nate."

"Antonio."

"Oh, Mitchie's bodyguard?"

"That's the one."

Nate nodded before backing off. "Well, you guys talk. I will be... somewhere else, then." He sighed, leaving.

Caitlyn groaned.

"Did I disturb something there?"

She shrugged. "He's been feeling down lately. Worried about his brothers so I've been having sleepovers with him but he's just become too clingy, to be honest."

"That means he loves you."

"One minute he loves himself, the next he loves me?"

Antonio laughed. "Well, I was nearly murdered because he thought that I was sliding in his girl's DMs. I ain't marrying you!"

Caitlyn giggled. "I'll talk to him. And please, be sensitive with Mitchie. I don't know what her answer's going to be."

"Okay. Thanks." Antonio sighed.

...

"Hey, you."

Shane looked up from his hammock and grinned at Mitchie. "Come sit," he told her, getting into a sitting position.

Mitchie dipped into the hammock, laughing. "Was not expecting that to be too deep!"

"It's low enough to escape if I need the toilet." Shane laughed with her. "How are you?"

"I'm good. You?"

"I'm fine."

"Shane... I think we need to talk."

Shane sighed. "Mitchie... I guess you now know that I've never stopped loving you."

Mitchie smiled a watery smile as she placed a hand on Shane's cheek. "Same here."

"But things have changed too much. I've changed."

"The drugs aren't the issue. You're not an addict anymore, Shane."

Shane sniffed, wiping a tear. "But I can't forgive myself. For everything. I also can't put you through all the pain that I put my family in."

"Shane, we can start again. Can't we?"

Shane laughed bitterly. "We can't. We need to rebuild our friendship first and that would take ages before we get back to where we were in the beginning."

"You're right. But you should know that I am willing to try."

"Okay."

"When you're ready, Shane. I don't want to push you."

Shane kissed the side of her head and got off the hammock. "Ethan and Ruby have scheduled a meeting with me. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, you will." Mitchie smiled. "I love you."

Shane halted, taking a deep breath before he mouthed it back to her with a smile.

...

Nate smiled when he saw his girlfriend enter his room. "Hey."

"Sorry about before..."

"It's fine. That girl's lucky."

Caitlyn winced. "Well, it's Mitchie."

"What?! Do you know what this will do to Shane?" Nate asked, standing up.

"I know! I told him not to be too hopeful! I know Mitchie still loves him!"

"And Shane still loves her! What do we do? Do we stop this? Stop them?" Nate asked, panicking. "This could set Shane back a few years."

Caitlyn took a deep breath. "I think we should let it play out. Pick up the pieces."

"You're right. I don't want Shane to hate me for meddling."

"Same. With Mitch."

Caitlyn's phone rang and she sighed, contemplating answering it.

"Who is it?"

"My mom."

Nate frowned. "Answer it then."

"I can't."

"Why not?" He laughed.

Caitlyn sighed. "Because I already know what it's about."

She took Nate's laptop from his bed and unlocked it, searching something up and showing him.

"Catherine's murder trial is being reopened. New leads, new evidence."

"Catherine..."

"Yeah." Caitlyn sighed, shrugging. "This is being dragged up again..."

Nate grabbed her hand. "You should talk to your parents. This reopening could be the one chance to get the person who destroyed your family and your sister's."

"You're right..."

...

Peggy subconsciously wrapped her kimono around her burgundy bikini piece, hoping that it wasn't too revealing as kids still snuck around this time of night as Dee and Brown were still away.

"Hey, gorgeous."

Peggy blushed, kissing Barron's cheek as she sat beside him at the lake.

"Hey, hottie."

"I got some marshmallows and wine. The fruits were locked up." Barron told her, showing her a picnic basket.

She grinned. "Red or white?"

Barron scoffed. "Who do you take me for? Of course, it's red."

"The one I like?"

Barron winked. "The one you like." He whispered, opening the bottle and pouring them both glasses.

He opened the packet of marshmallows and chucked one at her, making her squeal then giggle before chucking one at him. Luckily, he caught it in his mouth.

"Show off!" She chastised teasingly.

"And you love it, chica," he told her, placing a hand on her waist.

They were about to kiss when Peggy heard her name being called.

"Peggy..."

They both groaned, Peggy leaving a short kiss on his cheek before calling out.

"Yes, Tess?" She sighed.

Tess stepped into view, blushing. "Oh, I didn't know that you were... I can come back later."

"No, what is it, Tess?" Peggy asked, sending an apologetic glance at Barron.

Tess shook her head. "No. You guys enjoy your night."

Tess left them giggling and smiled when she spotted Mitchie strumming her guitar on the outdoor stage.

"Hey, stranger!"

Mitchie looked up with a smile. "Hey! What's up?"

"Oh, not much. Can't sleep with Ella's snoring and Peggy's on a date. Lola has also gone AWOL."

Mitchie laughed. "Same here. Lonely bee. Caitlyn's always at Nate's cabin and Shane's always busy. Mara and Nat are also doing their own thing, especially Mara, who's got Jason to blame for that."

Tess chuckled, sitting beside her. "What about your mom?"

"Well, she normally goes to the hospital to visit Brown and Dee around this time so that she can give them some food instead of that horrible hospital food."

The blonde nodded. "Well, we got each other now."

"Yeah," Mitchie smiled.

Tess sighed. "Can I ask you something?"

Mitchie nodded, a confused smile playing on her lips.

"Well, it's more for a friend. She has this problem. She's a model, like Ells and I, and her agent has told her that she needs to lose a bit more weight than needed."

"Oh." Mitchie whispered.

"Yeah, so she's started to... well, you know."

"Oh, dear. Well, I don't know if I'm the best person to say this but tell her that she can get through this and she's not alone. I went to rehab to sort out my issues but if she's in a controlled place with people ready to support her then..."

Tess wiped a tear. "I don't know if she has people to support her."

Mitchie turned to face Tess, bringing her in for a hug. "Tess, I'm here to support you."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

...

Sander groaned when he heard rapid knocking on his door.

"Barron you... Why don't you unlock the door yourself-"

"Because it's not Barron," Lola whispered as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Sander looked outside before pulling her in and closing the door behind her. He wrapped her in his arms and rubbed her back.

"Lolz, what's wrong?"

"Well..."

"Well?"

Lola sighed. "Louis called off the engagement."

Sander wasn't sure whether to leap in joy or to be shocked and angry at why a guy would do such a thing to a beautiful girl.

"Why?"

"We've been having issues lately. We thought that having LJ would solve them then getting engaged but nothing's changed the fact that he's an abusive, cheating jerk."

Sander was seething inside. "He abused you? Cheated on you?"

"We wanted to move on. The cheating was the one time but-"

"Abusing you? How and when?"

"He hit me sometimes... Called me names... Just for the first year but then it got better-"

Sander shook his head. "That's not love, Lola!"

"Then what is?!" She sobbed.

"This,"

And he kissed her.


	20. Together Forever

"Michelle,"

Mitchie gasped, throwing her arms around Antonio's neck. "What are you doing here?"

"I felt lonely back home with you girls gone," Antonio replied, kissing her cheek. "How have you been?"

"I've been fine. And before you ask, so has Cait. Nate is really helping her."

Antonio grabbed her hands. "Is there really something wrong with her? She seems different. I am concerned for her."

Mitchie didn't want to spill her best friend's secret. They hadn't even told Mara or Jason and Shane yet. "I'm sure she's fine. She hasn't given me any cause for concern lately. Nate's been helping with that." She repeated the fact that Nate was helping her best friend because she honestly felt that Antonio's acceptance of her good friend was valid. Then he could see that his older brother wasn't a threat anymore either.

"And is this Nate good for her? Generally?"

She nodded, smiling brightly. "I see good things in their future. Cait's actually seeing marriage and kids; something she never saw with Nat Larkin."

"She has always loved the boy, huh?" Antonio sighed.

"Always. They're meant to be - childhood sweethearts."

"But-"

"He's changed. I'm sure Cait's told you that already?" She cut him off.

He sighed, nodding. "I don't want anyone to hurt you, girls. You mean everything to me."

"I know. And if they do, they should remember that Mazz is a black belt in almost every martial arts there is." Mitchie said half-jokingly.

Antonio let out a soft chuckle before grabbing the box from his bag. "I have to do this."

"Do what?"

She gasped as she saw him bend down on one knee and reveal a ring to her.

"Will you marry me? As crazy as it sounds, I can't stop thinking about you, about us." Antonio said. "I know we haven't dated but I can make up for it for the rest of our lives, Mitchie-Moo. You're my everything and I love you."

She loved him. She honestly did. But weren't she and Shane fixing things? But it did seem as if Shane was hell bent on not getting back together with her but he did say he loved her and will never stop loving her. She believed that she was the thing stopping him from ultimate happiness and recovery from his demons.

"I..."

"Take your time,"

Mitchie continued to think. She and Shane together were all she could think of after seeing him after all these years apart. The newfound knowledge that he was to make her his wife on that fateful day in Paris had her heart yearning for him but also despising him for not claiming her. But he broke her heart and acted rude to her. Then again, he changed his ways and blatantly professed his undying love for her.

Antonio on the other hand. She had known him ever since a couple of months after her break up with Shane and they had gotten along straight away. He was from her culture, he spoke Spanish. His family were close to hers, their grandparents being acquainted many years ago.

He was loving, caring and protective. He knew and cared for her best friends dearly too, after being the one to console them in their personal issues at times. He had helped beat up Mitchie's stalker and Caitlyn's too. He was there through their downtimes, especially when Mitchie was sectioned and sent to rehab. He waited for her to come out and when she did, he threw her a small intimate party and baked her a cake of a microphone. He told her to never lose herself and remember the music. To face it and not cower away.

"Yes."

Antonio's mouth grew into a smile as he placed the ring on her finger, got up and kissed her.

"I'll make you the happiest woman on Earth, carina."

Mitchie gave him a sheepish smile, kissing his cheek. "I know you will."

...

Dee waited patiently and when she spotted the big family SUV pull up in front of her, she let out a big grin. She had arrived back at camp after Brown had forced her to check up on his 'no good nephews' and she found herself not concerned at all as the boys were doing a great job at keeping the camp ship shape. Brown had also reminded that they had a new security detail in place. A man who had served time in the Navy SEALS and his four children, two of which were obsessed with music and were hoping to perform as a brother and sister duo, although one being adopted when he was a child and the other being biological along with the younger siblings.

Dee was excited because he knew that a certain girlfriend of one of her step-nephews would be very pleased.

"Dee Cesario?" The man asked, hopping out of the car to shake her hand as his children piled out.

Dee nodded. "That's me! You must be Steven?"

"Just Steve. And these are my troublemakers, Nahele, Mia, Charlotte and Charles." Steve grinned, ruffling his youngest son's hair, making the child glare at him.

"Perfect! How old are they?" Dee smiled. She had wanted children with Brown but their ages didn't allow them to. They had thought of fostering and adopting but they seemed contempt with what they had already: two children and four nephews with a beautiful niece.

Nahele smiled, shaking her hand. "I'm 16. Mia's 16 too and the twins are 13."

"You look like you're eighteen!" Dee gasped, surprised.

"Get that a lot." His thick Hawaiian accent rang through.

"And your accent is wow! Differs from your father's and aunt's thick Cali."

Nahele nodded. "I was born in Hawaii. We've lived there all our lives, my siblings and I."

"Do you go anywhere else?" Dee asked as Steve carried their bags with the help of the other three children. They walked to their cabins.

"Yes. Germany to visit our grandfather. Our late mother's father. And Ohio, Toledo, to visit our late mother's mother and her family."

Dee smiled sadly. "What about your father's parents? Don't you visit them?"

Nahele shook his head. "Our grandmother goes on cruises a lot but she comes at Christmas. Our grandfather... he died before we were born."

"Oh, sorry to hear that. At least you see your mother's side and keep in touch, hmm? Have you seen your aunt?"

Nahele nodded. "She came to visit two months ago. When I had my accident." He gestured to his legs which Dee found that were prosthetics. "I worked hard to be where I am today and she helped.

"Glad to hear and I'm sorry to hear about your accident."

Now she understood Caitlyn's behaviour. So much had happened to her family that she couldn't even find time to control and take it all in but at least they were okay.

"Hey, Dee?"

"Yes, Steve?"

Steven blushed. "Is Caitlyn around?"

Dee smiled brightly, gesturing to Caitlyn and her friends by the lake. "I'll show you to your cabins first then you can surprise her."

...

"I'm so happy for you guys!" Caitlyn gushed, looking at Mitchie's engagement ring.

Shane sat silently, heartbroken. He couldn't help but think that he was too late. Why didn't he claim her before it was too late? Forget that crap about being friends first. She literally skipped the gun to the marriage.

Peggy nudged Barron, eager to share their own news. "We're making things happen too."

"Good for you!" Mitchie grinned, hugging her tightly. "You really deserve all the happiness in the world."

"So do you, Mitch," Barron told her.

They all looked up to see Lola and Sander with bright smiles on their faces.

"You are going to make a beautiful, bride!" Lola told her.

Mitchie blushed. "What about you, Lola?"

Lola blushed herself, keeping quiet as Sander made his own congratulations line.

Jason, Nat and Mara soon joined the group, the former informing them that the kids were asleep with Dana and Lana.

"What's going on?" Mara asked, spotting Antonio. "Antonio! You silly jackass!" She laughed, hugging him. "Why on Earth are you here?"

Antonio gestured to Mitchie who held up her left hand, grinning.

"No! You kept that secret!" Mara gasped, hugging him again before tackling her best friend in a hug.

"Congratulations!" Jason chuckled, hugging Mitchie.

Nat only gave her a cheeky thumbs up and a wink, making the future bride blush even more.

"Oh, Caitlyn, I saw a group of people that you might want to see..." Mara said, sitting beside her boyfriend.

"Who?"

Mitchie and Mara shared a glance and a grin before turning back to face their friend.

"Turn around."

"Aunt Caitlyn!"

And Caitlyn gasped in surprise.


	21. Firestone

**Lana Keegan: 24, Caitlyn's sister-in-law-ish and Shane's old pal.**

 **Antonio Delgado: 32, Mitchie, Mara and Caitlyn's bodyguard and good friend.**

 **Steven McRollins: 38, Caitlyn's brother-in-law and Nahale, Mia, Lottie and Charlie's dad.**

 **Nahele McRollins: 16, Caitlyn's nephew, Mia's 'twin', Steve's son and Mia, Lottie and Charlie's older brother.**

 **Mia McRollins: 16, Caitlyn's niece, Nahele's 'twin', Steve's daughter and Nahele, Lottie and Charlie's sister.**

 **Charlotte McRollins: 13, Caitlyn's niece, Charlie's twin, Steve's daughter and Nahele, Mia and Charlie's sister.**

 **Charles McRollins: 13, Caitlyn's nephew, Lottie's twin, Steve's son and Nahele, Mia and Lottie's younger brother.**

 **Updated Age:**

 **Caitlyn Gellar: 24**

* * *

Caitlyn breathed out, her hands reaching Steve's cheeks as she smiled brightly.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Got the summer off, didn't I? Wanted to make some extra cash for the kids this Christmas so took this offer. It was Brown and Dee who contacted me through your mom." Steve replied, hugging her.

Caitlyn moved on to her nieces and nephews, kissing their cheeks and smiling brightly at them. "Hey, you guys look so grown up!"

She hadn't seen the younger three siblings as when the eldest's accident happened, he was in Florida which was closer to Caitlyn as she had been in Miami producing for a top artist.

"I'm so glad you're getting through everything, Nahlie." She commented, kissing his cheek again. "Guys, meet my brother-in-law, Steve and my nephews and nieces, Nahele, Mia, Charlotte and Charles."

Mitchie and Mara stood up to hug Caitlyn's family as their friends stayed back, waving genuinely.

"Wow, you have-"

"Prosthetics? Yeah, when I went holiday with my friends in Florida, we got into a non-ideal position." Nahele left it at that, smiling it off.

Caitlyn nodded, "It was hard for all of us but he's fine now."

Mitchie smiled, satisfied with their answer as she didn't want to press on the matter further in the case of any setbacks it might have on the family. After all, Steve was now a single father, raising four children with one who now had PTSD and used music to help scare his demons away. They didn't want to add any more stress to them.

Mia blushed when her eyes met Shane's. "I can't believe that I am in the presence of the former band, Connect 3. I also can't believe that my own aunt knows them." She quietly squealed, making the guys laugh.

"Nice to know that we still have true fans around."

Mia nodded eagerly. "Lottie and I are big fans. My friends stopped following but I never stopped. I have faith that all of you would be successful in your future endeavours." Mia told them honestly. "If you guys are successful, then that sets an example to many people around such as Nahlie and I. We want to be a sister-brother duo one day."

Nate smiled at Caitlyn with a twinkle in his eye. "Show us what you got, kids."

Nahele gasped. "Seriously? You legends want to hear us sing?"

Jason chuckled, nodding. "Yeah. But don't call us legends. Makes us sound old."

"That makes you sound old, Nate and I are fine." Shane joked.

"Well, I forgot my guitar so-"

Nahele was met with Mara thrusting Shane's guitar in his face.

"Go on, you two. Make your mama proud." She grinned.

Nahele and Mia turned to each other, before taking deep breaths and harmonising.

"If I told you this was only gonna hurt

If I warned you that the fire's gonna burn

Would you walk in?

Would you let me do it first?

Do it all in the name of love

Would you let me lead you even when you're blind?

In the darkness, in the middle of the night

In the silence, when there's no one by your side

Would you call in the name of love?

In the name of love, name of love

In the name of love, name of love..."

"That was... good."

They all turned to face Ethan and Ruby with impressed looks on their faces.

"You're going to go somewhere." Ethan smiled before walking off with his sister.

"Who were they?" Charles asked.

Jason smiled, ruffling his hair. "Our cousins."

Maybe there was the music shining for them too.

...

"Shane!"

Shane halted, his fists clenching and unclenching as Mitchie appeared in front of him.

"Yes?" He asked through gritted teeth.

Mitchie gave a bitter laugh. "You hate me. You hate me for not waiting around for you. You were the one who ended us, told me that there was no chance for us and now you hate me because I'm engaged to someone who treats me better than you do."

Shane gave her a dirty look before pointing a finger at her. "I don't hate you. I'm disappointed in you. We had a plan. We were going to do the long haul and next thing I know, you're jumping into Antonio the Italian's arms!"

"He's Spanish," she corrected with a glare. "And it makes sense to us. We've been more stable than you and I were."

"Don't you get it, Michelle?!" Shane yelled. "I love you! I always have and always will but you said yes. That means that we can't have what we used to have now. You're someone else's."

"I don't belong to anyone but myself, Shane." Mitchie whispered.

He let out a sob, his shoulders slacking. "You used to belong to me."

"But you set me free."

"And I regret that decision every day and will for the rest of my life. I won't condemn myself into being your side guy or anything."

Mitchie looked down. "I wasn't going to ask you to be that, my love."

"Don't call me that. Antonio's your lover now."

He left her, tears rolling down his cheeks as he vowed to himself to never trust a woman again.

...

Jason happily returned to his bedroom with his daughter in his arms sleeping. He hadn't spent much time with her and he was finally glad to relax for a little while as Ethan had now promised to step up and help since he was building bridges in their family.

When he got to his and Shane's shared cabin, he noticed the door was locked. He knocked, calling out for Shane.

"Shane, open the door. Kel's with me and we're cold out here."

He tried opening the door again, knocking frantically as his daughter started to wake.

"Shane?"

His heart flipped when he realised that something may be truly wrong. Spotting Mara walking by, he quickly handed her his daughter before promising to get her soon with a kiss. He then rushed back to his cabin and looked for an open window, spotting one at the back where the small kitchenette was.

Jason climbed in, avoiding the sink below the window as he placed his feet on the tiles and rushed to Shane's section of the cabin.

He found Shane with his head bowed and a small plastic bag in his hand containing three pills.

"Shay...?"

"I didn't. I couldn't." Shane mumbled, slightly slurred.

Jason then noticed a bottle of vodka half finished beside his younger brother and sighed, getting on his knees to hug him.

He took the pills and placed them inside the side drawer, humming a lullaby to send Shane to sleep. They were adults but still, they needed some childish comfort to help them with their demons.

"You're going to be okay."

...

Tess found Mitchie crying on the Final Jam stage and winced. She had wanted her to help with her issues, not deal with hers but weren't friends there for _each other_?

"Mitchie, what's wrong?" Tess asked gently, hugging her.

"Everything. I mess things up, Tess. What's wrong with me?"

Tess frowned. "Nothing is, sweetheart. You don't mess things up. When you do, you fix them with your heart and all."

"I wish I could fix Shane, then."

The blonde sighed. At times, she thought that he was a lost cause but she could see the struggles and improvements every single day she was around him.

"Mitchie, Shane needs to fix himself, not you. You can't carry his burdens."

"I think I owe him, though. I did this to him-"

"No! You didn't! Shane did that to himself, do not ever blame yourself!" Tess snapped, watching Mitchie's eyes dull even more. "You are not responsible for his mistakes nor his feel better process. He can't use you like that. Either he loves you or he is just using you."

Mitchie nodded. "You're right. So right. Now, let's help you."

"This isn't my moment. Let's sort you out before sorting my messed up life, okay?"

Mitchie smiled sadly. "Where's the Tess that was so bitchy."

Tess sighed, wondering herself. "She's dead and gone, Mitchie. But you now have a better Tess for you."

The pair hugged and Tess felt that she was truly finding herself again for the first time in years.


	22. With You In The Middle

The next day, Mitchie met Tess, Ella and Peggy in the Mess Hall, figuring out costumes for their students.

"Hey, Tess? Can we talk?"

Tess turned to her friends who gave her nods of approval before following Mitchie into the kitchens, smiling at her mother on the way.

"What's up?" Tess asked.

"Have you...?"

Tess's eyes widened as she blushed, shaking her head. "No."

Mitchie tilted her head, folding her arms. "Don't kid a kidder."

"Twice. Okay? Since I told you." Tess snapped quietly.

The blackhead sighed, rubbing her head. "I know it's not easy to stop but you can control yourself or even limit yourself. It's going to be a long road, you know."

"I can do it. Get through this."

"I know you can. But you need all the support you can get. When I went through it, I told my mom, Caitlyn, my dad and Shane. Eventually, after meeting Mara and becoming close to her, I told her too. They helped me through it."

Tess raised an eyebrow. "But you were out getting drunk and doing drugs as well. You went to rehab."

"Anorexia is anorexia," Mitchie replied simply.

The blonde winced. "Don't say that word."

"It is what it is and you need to see it as that," Mitchie said. "You can't ignore what it is. The first step to solving a problem is to admit what it is in the first place."

Tess rubbed her tears away. "Fine. I-I... I h-have a-ano... anorexia." She sobbed.

"And you're going to be okay..." Mitchie assured her.

...

Shane woke up, his head hurting him more than it should. He couldn't really remember what happened the night before and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

He spotted Jason and Kelly still asleep and got out of bed, draping a blanket over them in the armchair.

He left his room and entered the small kitchenette, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and two Advils from his suitcase.

There was a knock on the door and he quickly took the pills, swallowing the water as he did so before opening the door.

"Nate,"

Nate sighed and entered the cabin, shutting the door behind them. "Jason told me that you had a little episode last night."

"I didn't take anything. At least I don't think I did." Shane mumbled, rubbing his head. "Look, if you're here to tell me off or something-"

"No... I want to talk... about Mitchie and Antonio."

Shane closed his eyes, wishing that he was anywhere but there. He wished he was on a beach somewhere, being held by someone who loved him. He couldn't see the girl's face but she hugged him lovingly.

He hadn't realised that he had zoned out until Nate gently slapped him.

"God, you were out for ages."

"How long?" Shane snapped, rubbing his cheek.

"Ten minutes. Is this a regular thing? If so, you need a doctor." Nate asked, concerned.

Shane rolled his eyes. "I was just ignoring you."

Nate scoffed. "Sorry but some of us actually still want to be in the land of the conscious."

Shane drank more from his bottle and sat down on the sofa, giving his brother a 'well?' look.

"How do you feel about Mitchie and... Antonio getting married?" Nate asked, sitting across from him.

His older brother shrugged. "I can't see them together per say. They look like a weird couple."

Nate rolled his eyes. "Be serious."

"Nate..., you know I adore Mitchie and I want her to be happy but... I want her to be happy with _me_. I have nothing against Antonio but he has no idea what we went through together. Mitchie, she promised me that she would wait and the next thing she does is goes and gets engaged."

"I know and that must have hurt. But Shane..., you have to let her go. She's making you sick and Jase and I hate seeing you like this."

Shane looked at one of his suitcases in the small living room longingly. "One pill takes all the pain away."

"But you got yourself better. You stopped." Nate replied, kneeling in front of him.

"Nate, what have I got to live for?" Shane whispered.

Nate bit his lip before replying, "You've worked so hard. Look, you've got that new band and they're cool. You also have dad's support which is a first because he doesn't prefer any of us right now. You just need a break, start afresh."

"I don't want to be alone..."

"Then, we'll go together. You, me and Jase with Kelly. We'll start again."

...

Caitlyn sighed, turning into the Mess Hall to find Ella and Peggy arguing on whether bedazzling their jeans was a good idea.

"It's so Eighties!" Peggy yelled.

"But it's cute and vintage!" Ella whined.

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. "Girls! Have you seen Nate anywhere?"

"No, sorry." They replied, continuing their argument straight after.

The bluehead groaned and entered the kitchens, spotting Mitchie consoling Tess.

"Hey, have you two seen my boyfriend anywhere?"

"Probably with Shane and Jason. No one has seen them." Tess replied, wiping her eyes.

Mitchie nodded. "Mara said that Jason hasn't woken up yet. They texted into the night and he said that Kelly was running a fever."

"Nice to know," Caitlyn nodded. "But will my boyfriend be there?"

"Why are you looking for him?" Connie asked, entering the kitchens.

Caitlyn rubbed her arm. "I'm thinking of following Steve back to Hawaii for Catherine's killer's sentence."

Mitchie left Tess's side in a flash to hug her best friend. "I'm so sorry! I forgot! That's in two days, right?"

"Yeah... And I'm scared. This is real, they confirmed that they had the right guy this time. Mom and dad will be there and it's really going to happen. I need Nate with me."

Mitchie sighed. "Yeah, you do. Mara and I could come if you want? Moral support."

"Will you really? I don't want you guys to leave Antonio and Jason behind or anything."

The blackhead smiled, wiping her friend's hair from her face. "What are best friends for?"

Tess smiled. "Let's go find Nate."

...

Lola frowned when she saw the Gray brothers load Jason's car with a strapped Kelly with them. She walked up to them and tapped Jason's shoulder, making him jump.

"Where are you guys going?"

They all looked at each other before Nate calmly replied.

"Aunt Dee bought a place closer to the hospital to stay in so we're going to stay there so we can access Uncle Brown's recovery closer."

"What about Ethan and Ruby?" Lola asked.

Jason shrugged. "Ethan said he had to stay and manage the camp and Ruby well... she isn't close to her father still at the moment."

Lola gave them a sad smile. "Well, send him our best, yeah?"

"Of course," Shane smiled, getting into the car.

Lola waved them off and spotted Mitchie, Caitlyn and Tess heading to the guys' cabin.

"Hey!"

"Hey, have you seen-"

"The boys? Yeah, they've just left. They're going to stay nearby the hospital."

Caitlyn frowned, suddenly feeling sick. "And Nate didn't say goodbye or see you later?"

Lola shook her head. "No, he didn't. None of them did."

"Did they specify?" Mitchie asked, suddenly becoming worried.

"No. But I think Ethan or Ruby would know. If you're not sure then ask Dee, she has all the information."

Tess quickly dialled Dee's number and sighed in relief when she heard the perky voice reply.

"Dee, are the boys staying with you?"

 _"Where? At the hospital?"_

"Uh..."

 _"No..., they are not. And they're not allowed to."_

"So, you didn't get a place near the hospital?"

 _"No, I didn't...?"_

"Okay, thank you!" Tess replied, cutting the call.

The girls looked at each other before the cabin.

Caitlyn ran into the room, searching for anything to tell them of their whereabouts.

She finally found a note and gathered the girls around her.

" _To Caitlyn, Mitchie and Mara._

 _We're sorry for the brisk leave but we had to go._

 _Shane's not happy and everything is becoming too much for us._

 _Mitchie, Shane loves you with all his heart but he cannot stand by and watch you marry another man._

 _Caitlyn, Nate loves you so much but the both of you can't give each other all the support that you need with your separate issues._

 _And Mara, I love you and I will love you until the day that I die and I so wish that Kelly could be yours so that we can have our happy ever after but face it, we were kidding ourselves when we planned to leave it all behind after my divorce._

 _We all have deep secrets and it is better that none of you know that or if you do know, it's better that we do not burden you._

 _Don't worry, we do not plan to end our lives or anything dramatic and drastic like that but we just want a fresh start where none of us are hurting. We just want... peace._

 _I'm sorry. Shane and Nate said not to write this but I felt like we owed you guys this. Nate promised to call you Caitlyn but we forced him not to in the future. This is our goodbye._ "

Caitlyn nodded, tears freely running down her cheeks as she dropped the letter signed by the brothers. All in their familiar and warm cursive letters.

"We... We should tell Mara." Mitchie finally got out, clutching her chest.

"I already know..." Mara whispered, exiting the bathroom. "I was planning to surprise Jason with breakfast this morning and ended up locking myself in the bathroom by accident when I split syrup down my shirt. I heard everything and I just stood there. I should have said something, made a noise, banged on the door..." She sobbed.

Caitlyn turned to face her, her face expressionless. "Why?"

Mara shrugged. "Shane was going to do something stupid. Hurt himself. Probably resulting in his death and Jason had stopped him. Nate came in and he and Shane talked about Mitchie and Antonio getting married. Next thing I know, Nate's telling them that they have to leave this place and start afresh."

"Cait...?" Tess whispered gently.

"I'm done." Caitlyn said, just as quietly.


	23. Crying For Something

Caitlyn smiled when she reached her brother-in-law and gave him a tight hug before sitting beside him on the sofa.

"I've decided to come with you. My friends, Mitchie and Mara will be coming as well as our bodyguard, Antonio."

Steve smiled. "That is okay. I'm glad you've decided to come. I'm sure your parents would love to see you."

"If they did, then my father would be here, not in Germany and my mother would not be worrying about her senatorship over Ohio..." Caitlyn replied.

Her brother-in-law sighed. "You know that they are trying to move on. So should you after this."

"Have you?"

Steve chuckled. "Come on, Cath was my end all. I can't have anyone else, especially if they're not her. I have our kids to focus on from now on. Getting the twins through high school and middle school then supporting them later on."

"I understand." Caitlyn smiled softly.

He noticed her sad posture. "What's up?"

"My boyfriend... We broke up. And before you ask, it was me. I can't let him date someone like me." Caitlyn lied.

"Why not? What's wrong with you?" Steve asked her.

Caitlyn sighed, rubbing her tears away. "I'm Bipolar..."

Steve gasped a little. "Does he know?"

She nodded. "And he stuck it out with me but be real, who wants someone like that?"

"Apparently him."

 _Then why did he leave me?,_ she thought bitterly.

"Give him a chance. He's surprised you up until now, hasn't he?"

Caitlyn nodded. "Yeah, but he's gone. To stay with his uncle in hospital for a while."

Steve took a sip from his bottle. "Oh, how horrible. I'm sure you guys will get back together in no time. You have things to sort out and so does he."

"Yeah...," Caitlyn whispered. "You're right." _I hope._

...

"I can't believe that they ran away!" Barron said, shaking his head as Lola and Mitchie recalled their events to the group. "What cowards."

Peggy hit him gently. "Don't call them that... You don't know what they're dealing with."

"They still shouldn't have left." Nat hissed. "Especially that Nate guy. He loves Caitlyn, yet he's the one who suggested the bloody plan. What kind of guy does that to a girl?"

"Who are you talking about?"

They all turned to face Brown and Dee with small but confused smiles on their faces.

"You're back! And okay!" Tess said, as they all got up to hug the couple.

Brown chuckled. "It's going to take a little more to break a man like me. Mind the chest, kids."

"So, who left? Is it Ruby and Ethan?" Dee asked the group.

They all looked at each other, sending apologetic glances at the elder couple.

Sander sighed, brave enough to reply. "Shane, Nate and Jason. Wrote a letter to Mitchie, Caitlyn and Mara then just left."

"What do you mean by 'just left'?" Brown asked, anger suddenly coursing through his body.

Lola raised her gaze to him. "They wanted to start afresh. We don't know where."

"But we know why..." Mitchie told him. "I think we better discuss this privately."

Brown agreed and later he, Mitchie, Dee and Mara were sat in his office, drinking coffee.

Mitchie sighed. "I recently got engaged..."

"Congratulations, love." Brown smiled.

"Congratulations." Dee grinned.

Mitchie smiled a little, nodding. "Thank you. It's not to Shane... That's why..., he was upset. Almost depressed and he... we argued. Mara told me he almost took drugs."

Brown gasped. "I thought he was better."

"So did I!" Dee said.

"I thought so too but my betrayal sent him almost over the edge... That's why all of them left. Because of me and Shane."

Dee shook her head in disbelief. "I don't understand it. What about Caitlyn? What about you, Mara. Don't your guys love you enough to stay?"

Mara cried. "I thought they did. We all did."

Brown stood up and walked over to his desk to retrieve his phone. "I'll call their parents and siblings. See if they've got any information."

"They'd be long gone..." Mara whispered, wiping her tears. "I'm crying over a guy... I feel so stupid."

Mitchie took her hand and gripped it. "Don't be. We loved them and that's not stupid at all."

Mara frowned, still thinking she was stupid for falling for a married guy.

...

It was their fourth stop and they had arrived at a diner, 4 and a half hours away from camp.

Shane tapped his fork against the napkin dispenser, almost regretful.

"Can you stop that?" Jason asked gently as he tried to feed Kelly her yoghurt.

His brother sighed, stopping his actions as he watched their younger brother sit back down at their table after using the toilet.

"You sorted?" He asked.

Nate nodded, putting his insulin back into his travel bag. "When's the food going to get here?" He asked, taking his phone out. He immediately regretted it because staring back at him were photos of Caitlyn and him together, smiling.

"They've just finished the morning rush." Jason replied, taking his phone away from him. "Don't try and call her. It was your idea."

Nate glared at him and sat back in his seat, crossing his arms. "I wasn't going to..." He mumbled. "Maybe we should go back. Maybe doing this was a bit too... drastic."

Jason sighed in relief. "I'm glad you think that too-"

"No." Shane snapped. "You are not leaving anywhere. We will leave and start again."

Jason gave him a long look. "How about we help you find somewhere and go back?"

Shane returned with his own look of betrayal. "You guys promised me."

"We should think very deeply about this." Nate said.

Jason agreed with him. "We should. I promise, Shane, everything will be alright."

He rolled his eyes when Nate's phone buzzed in his hand and saw Brown's name pop up along with their mother's. A conference call.

"Answer it," Shane sighed.

Nate took his phone and pressed the green answer button. He was met with their mother and uncle staring back at him.

 _"Nathaniel!"_

"We're alright, Mom. We just went for a drive. See? We're at a diner and we're all fine."

Brown sighed. _"Are you coming back?"_

Nate looked up at Shane and nodded. "We'll be back by night."

 _"You made us worry for nothing!"_ Their mother chastised. _"I nearly called your father and you know how much I loathe to be in contact with him."_

Jason chuckled to himself. "We know."

 _"Well, drive safely, okay boys?"_ Their mother almost whined. _"I love you."_

Shane looked up with a sigh. "We love you too, Mom..."


	24. Starting Again

Caitlyn's phone whistled and she picked it up from the desk, leaning it against her raised thigh as she sat in the chair.

A text message from Nate apologising and promising to be there soon brightened the room and she switched her phone off, continuing to stare at the picture of her and her siblings when they were younger.

Things were finally lighting up for her. She had loyal friends, a fantastic doting boyfriend and a wonderful family. What more could she ask for?

She felt empty, though. Catherine's killer was going to be put away for life, Nate was coming back to her but there was this emptiness...

The door opened and Mitchie entered, taking her hair out of its short ponytail.

"Jason texted me. Shane doesn't want to contact me at the moment but they're coming back." She said, stretching as she got ready for bed. "I hope that we can all sort things out but it's best to leave that for the morning. Brown wants to talk to them first."

Caitlyn gave a simple, quiet nod and sighed, placing her photograph down on the desk and stood up.

"Are you sure about coming to support me in Hawaii?"

Mitchie gave her friend a sympathetic smile. "Of course, Cait. Plus, it's a couple of days away from this cold."

Caitlyn giggled. "I knew that you'd jump at the chance of a hot break."

Mitchie gave a cheeky smile. "Of course, I would! France was freezing!"

The door opened and Mara came in, giving them a small smile.

"Hey, the guys are nearly back, did you know?"

Mitchie nodded. "We were going to give them a break this night. We don't want any conflict."

Mara gave an approving smile. "We just got to build that trust up and offer any support."

"It's not like someone died," Caitlyn gave a small confused scoff.

"No..., but Shane's situation is delicate. He's quite fragile. Drugs... are a very dangerous thing, you know?" Mara argued gently. "If he notices that we are supportive, maybe he won't have a suicidal wish every time."

"Mara's right. And we have to support Jason and Nate too. They're his brothers and they're obviously close and would be devastated if anything happened to either one of them." Mitchie added.

Caitlyn finally agreed. "It's just annoying, you know? Nate was supposed to be here, I needed him."

"And you'll argue about that tomorrow. For now, let's just get to bed." Mara yawned.

...

Ella sat up in her bed and raised an eyebrow at Tess who sat, writing in her diary.

"What are you doing?"

Tess turned to smile at her. "I've just remembered that we have some bookings in September. Our new line is introducing the Spring Collection."

Ella squealed, coming to join her. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"They just literally told me thirty minutes ago when I was Skyping my mother," Tess replied.

The brunette grinned and hugged her. "This could help us meet the bigger models, you know?"

"Yeah! Oh my gosh, that's actually really exciting." Tess smiled. "Do you think they'll like us?" She nervously asked, twirling a bit of her hair.

Ella sat down on the chair beside her and studied her blonde friend. "Tess... Is there something wrong? You can tell me, you know?"

Tess's eyes widened. Ella was as observant as she seemed. She and Jason were really not airheads after all. Tess thought about Mitchie who had experienced what she was experiencing right now. It seemed like a good idea to keep it between the pair of them, right?

Tess took a deep breath and sighed. "I... I'm fine, Ells. Nothing to worry about." She smiled.

Ella shook her head. "You seemed so worried, though. Is something wrong with your mother or something?"

"No! Nothing of the sort, Ella! It's just that we're still so new to this industry and I see how other models look at us like we're fresh meat."

Ella chuckled loudly. "Tess! I always knew that you still worried about how people saw you. Forget those models, they're not as beautiful as us. Plus, if all else fails, we have music to fall back onto. What do they have once they get a new zit? Nothing."

Tess smiled, reassured. "You're right. I'm being silly over nothing."

"I'm just glad that you spoke to me about this. We're practically sisters, right?" Ella gave her a hopeful smile.

The blonde returned it with her own. "Right."

"Great, now let's go drag Peggy away from Barron so we can actually sleep tonight."

...

Ruby slipped under the duvet and sighed in relief.

Her dad was fine and back at camp, where he should be. Hers and her brother's relationship was finally being repaired after so much resentment back home in England. And she had actually started to see Dee as another mother. One she could confide in without having them tell the other parent.

The news about her cousins troubled her, though. They were due back any time now and she had not known what exactly had conspired between them.

She knew that Shane had some issues. It was a major thing in the Celebrity gossips back in the day so she was up to date with that but she had not known much about said issues.

Ruby knew that Shane had been admitted into a rehabilitation centre so it must have been very bad.

The door opened and Ethan stalked in, stretching and yawning. He rubbed his eyes and switched on his bedside table, taking his shirt off.

"Gosh, can you be any louder?" Ruby snapped, turning away from the light. "And turn that thing off."

Ethan rolled his eyes and packed away his clothes, slipping his pyjamas on. "What's bitten your backside?"

Ruby shook her head. "We finally have cousins that we can get to know but... maybe we shouldn't." Ruby sighed, turning back to face her brother.

"What do you mean?" Ethan asked, sitting on his bed so he could face her better.

"Shane has issues..."

"And so?"

"Haven't you heard the rumours? They say that he was going to top himself." Ruby replied.

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Look..., we all have our demons. Let's not judge anyone based on their past or whatever they are going through right now, yeah?"

Ruby sighed, nodding. "You're right. He seems really nice, anyway."

"We may have all gotten off the wrong foot but it's time to start again..." Ethan said gently, kissing her forehead. "Night, sis."

"Night, bro," Ruby replied with a smile on her face.

...

Mara jumped when she felt a hand touch her shoulder.

"Jason!"

Jason pressed a finger to his lips and gestured to a sleeping Caitlyn and Mitchie.

He nudged his head towards the door and Mara nodded, following him and closing the door behind her.

"Why did you guys leave?"

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that I have to be happy as well... Not only Shane."

"So...?"

Jason slipped his wedding band off and slipped it into his pocket. "I'll try and get a lawyer who can speed the divorce up. I want you, Mara and if today's taught me anything... it's that I never want to be separated from you again."

Mara's heart melted as she pulled him in a for a deep kiss. "Where's Kelly?"

"With Shane. Nate's gone to see Brayden. He's leaving Caitlyn for tomorrow."

"She really needs him..."

Jason sighed. "Does she?"

"Yeah, she's going to Hawaii in two days for the final court case for her sister's murder..." Mara explained. "They've got the guy."

Jason gave a small smile. "That's good. I'm glad for her. I'm sure Nate would come and see her as soon as possible, then."

"He should be careful... So should you because Nat's on a warpath."

"Figured," Jason chuckled, kissing the top of her head. "I love you."

"I love you, too..." Mara mumbled from his chest as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Never leave me again."

"Never."

...

Sander nudged Lola's shoulder as they sat by the lake.

"Have you called Louis back, yet? Told him about getting LJ to America?"

Lola shook her head. "I'm planning to tell him when I go back so I could get LJ. It's better to tell him face to face."

Sander agreed, kissing her cheek gently. "I'll treat you guys better than he did."

"I know you will." Lola smiled brightly. "But at the end of the day, he's LJ's dad."

"And Wendy's Kelly's mother but Jason loves Mara. And Mara really loves Kelly," Sander argued.

Lola chuckled. "But they're like a true rom-com. We're not."

Sander raised an eyebrow. "Why can't we be, huh?"

"We're too involved," Lola replied sadly.

Sander stood up and offered his hand out to her.

She took it and stood up, hugging him. "What I mean is... We've been best friends for much longer than we have loved each other. What if this ruins all of that?"

"It won't."

"How do you know?"

Sander gave her a small smile. "Another example, Nate and Caitlyn."

Lola rolled her eyes playfully and hit his shoulder. "Then let's hope that we don't fail like Shane and Mitchie, then."

"Of course, Chica."


	25. Water Under The Bridge

Mitchie frowned, brushing the hand off her arm as she turned to continue sleeping.

"Mitchie... Mitch,"

She groaned, opening her eyes. "What Mara? It's 5 AM in the morning."

"I-I know but we gotta do something." Mara pulled back her duvet and dragged her out of the bed. "Come on, it's important."

Mitchie furrowed her eyebrows when she saw that her friend was dressed in a lace white dress with white wedges. "What's going on?"

"Come on. Cait's waiting outside and is most likely sleeping standing up by now." Mara let go of her arm before collecting a tote bag from her bed and waving her friend to hurry up.

Mitchie rolled her eyes, slipping her boots on before following the bassist out the door to meet with their friend.

"So where are we off too?" Caitlyn asked, also in her pyjamas.

Mara grinned, reaching into the bag to give them both a bouquet of flowers.

"Let's just get there, shall we?" She asked brightly.

The other two soon found out that they were going to the lake once they saw the guys and their friends waiting for them.

"What's going on...?" Mitchie asked, her eyes drifting towards Shane.

Nate immediately took Caitlyn in his arms, giving her a sweet kiss and an apology. "Beats me, Jason dragged us out of bed."

Jason and Mara finally stood together, addressing their friends and family. "We want a small intimate wedding."

"But you're not divorced yet, Jason," Shane stated, ignoring Mitchie's pleading glances. "Isn't this illegal or something?"

"Well, we're not getting married officially. Just a private affair." Jason explained, smiling at Mara.

"We just want it to mean something. Once the divorce is through, we'll sign the papers and be done with it."

Caitlyn had a doubt. "What about an officiate. Have you thought of that?"

Ethan blushed, raising his hand. "I actually have a-"

"Don't tell me..." Caitlyn realised. "You can officiate. Well, you guys really thought of everything."

Mara giggled. "Not really. This was only planned an hour ago."

"Then let's get you married." Mitchie finally grinned, nudging Caitlyn's side to encourage her.

Caitlyn gave out a smile, finally agreeing.

The ceremony was soon rushed through and they decided to have a wedding breakfast, courtesy of Connie.

"Classes start soon," Ella yawned, biting through a slice of toast.

"I am not looking forward to it. Lucky you, Caitlyn, you get to go to Hawaii tomorrow..." Tess moaned.

Nate turned to face Caitlyn who raised her eyebrow back at him. "Not now. Later."

He nodded, taking her hand under the table as they ate.

"I want to say something," Mara piped up, standing up with her glass of orange juice. "I want to say how much I love Jason and how much I always have since I met him all these years ago. Jason, you mean everything to me and so does Kelly. I want to spend the rest of my life beside you raising our family and getting by catching the stars in our lives. Since we both share the love of birds, I thought that I would tell you what ravens are since they're my favourite bird however how morbid they are. Ravens are masters of time so I hope that whenever they are around us, they pull the time back just a little bit so I get to spend more time with you, loving you and caring for you. Now, this may sound weird but I hope that you do not steal, lie or cheat even though they sound reasonable for a typical wedding speech. If you were to steal, steal my sorrows. If you were to lie, lie with me when we sleep every night so I know that you are near and if you were to cheat... please, cheat death because, without you, I am incomplete..."

There was silence as Jason gazed lovingly at his girlfriend, his hand gripping hers tightly.

Shane excused himself, making Mitchie excuse herself and follow behind him quickly. Nate and Caitlyn also excused themselves, taking the time to talk their next plan in action.

"I hope I didn't stun anyone to death," Mara laughed lightly.

"That was so beautiful, Mara. Jason is so lucky to have you." Dana smiled.

...

Mitchie gave out a frustrated yell. "Shane, wait up!"

Shane stopped, clenching his fists as he closed his eyes. "Mitchie... You made your choice."

"What if I regret it? What if I want things to be different?"

He finally turned to face her, exasperation written on his features as he started to laugh sardonically. "You want things to be different? All of this is because of you!"

"No!" Mitchie yelled back, pointing a finger at him. "This all started because of you. You were meant to propose to me in Paris but you dumped me. If you hadn't, I wouldn't have developed feelings for Antonio and accepted his marriage proposal!"

"Well..."

"That's all you have to say? 'Well'?!"

"What do you expect me to say to that? It's all true, isn't it?" Shane sighed. "I did break your heart in Paris and then I forced you to restart our relationship as friends. I'm a terrible person, Mitchie and I know that. I've done things that I'm ashamed of and well, they'll haunt me forever."

Mitchie's glare softened as she sighed, rubbing her arms for warmth. "I... You're not a terrible person, Shane. You're just... misunderstood. Running away was not the answer to solving your problems nor is taking..."

"I didn't."

"I know."

"I... I thought about my family. I couldn't do that to them, to Uncle Brown. I couldn't do that to you."

Mitchie gave him a watery smile. "I really don't want to marry Antonio... I just thought that you didn't want me anymore so I freaked-"

"I'll always want you, Mitch..." Shane whispered. "But we can't just jump back into a relationship. We have to rebuild it so we're stronger."

"I think I'm ready to do that."

"Yeah?"

Mitchie stepped towards him, bringing him in for a hug. "Yeah. Friends first."

...

"Hawaii?"

"My sister's murderer is being sentenced."

Nate nodded. "Who's going with you?"

"Steve, of course, and Mitchie and Mara. Do you want to come before you run off again?" Caitlyn snapped.

Nate kissed her, immediately making her melt into his arms. "I love how I can make you melt with one kiss. And yes, I'll go with you, without running off but that was for Shane and I was never even going to go through with it."

"Are you telling me the truth?"

"Yes! Shane... he wanted his own life and Jason and I weren't part of that. We were going to take him to wherever he wanted and then come straight back. Shane... I love him but I can't put my life on hold because of him. I can't ruin the things that are going great for me."

Caitlyn kissed him, leaning her forehead against his. "Shane's a big boy. Let him follow his own path."

"I don't want him to... He was in rehab for two years, Caity."

"And he's fine now. He didn't take the drugs, did he? He's strong and he will continue to recover." Caitlyn gave him a smile. "You will have to trust him."

Nate nodded, giving her a smile. "What will I do without you?"

"Nothing. Probably shrivel up and die with no self-worth-"

"You're mean."

She chuckled. "Well, you did ditch me for your brother so..."

"Yeah. Sorry about that."

"Already water under the bridge, stupid." She smirked.


	26. Secret September Songs

**This chapter's focused on Ella, Peggy, Barron and Sander more as Caitlyn, Mitchie, Mara and Nate are away for a couple of days in Hawaii. I feel like I haven't really explored their secrets yet.**

 **The song in this chapter is September Song by JP Cooper x**

* * *

Tess frowned, spotting a piece of paper peeking out from under Ella's bed. She opened it up and gasped at its contents.

"Tess, did you finish my shampoo?"

The blonde's eyes narrowed at the closed bathroom door. "No, Ella but can you hurry up? We need to talk."

"Can't it wait? I'll be quick," she heard the brunette sigh.

The model sat down on her bed, crossing her legs as she waited for her friend to hurry up. Thirty minutes the brunette fashion designer exited the bathroom, fully dressed with a towel wrapped around her hair.

"What, Tess?"

Tess thrust the sheet into her face and bit her lip. "You had... you had an abortion?"

"You looked through my things?!"

"When? How? I didn't even know you were with anyone!"

Ella scoffed. "I wasn't."

"Then-"

"It was a one-night stand with another model from Fashion Week. I told him, we had some words then I decided to get rid of it."

Tess' eyes watered as she held in a gasp. "Why? I could have helped you! We would have been fine, raising a kid together. I'm your best friend, I would have murdered that guy for doing that to you!"

Ella had her own tears slipping down her cheeks. "I know and I love you for that, Tess but... I wasn't ready. We both weren't. Look, we've barely even started modelling and fashion designing and a kid does not fit into that plan."

"That was life, Ella..." Tess breathed out. "You killed life."

"Don't say that!" Ella cried. "You don't get it, you don't get _me,_ Tess!"

Tess was hurt. "What?"

"And I don't get you either! You're hiding something from me and I've given you chances to come clean-"

"Just like you hid this from me?!" Tess screeched. "A baby, Ella! My secret isn't as bad as this!"

"Then what is it?! What's not as bad as this, Theresa?!"

Tess gulped. "I... I have an eating disorder."

Ella laughed bitterly. "I knew it. I suspected it. I never saw you eat back at home and you were always micromanaging what you ate. Yeah, you're right. It's not as bad as having an abortion..." Ella's voice cracked. "I'm staying with Lola and Nat tonight."

"Ella... don't go."

"We need a break."

"We can talk this out. I'm here for you-"

Ella shook her head. "I know. I'm here for you too but we're too fucked up right now to be near each other. Tess, you're practically my sister but both of us need to have our own space - our own secrets..."

"I'm sorry..."

"Me too," Ella looked away, tears slipping down her cheeks.

...

Sander threw his phone on his bed and sighed, rubbing his face.

"What's up?" Andy asked.

"Nothing."

"Seems like a stressful call?" Andy retorted, grabbing his bag and standing up. "I've got a class. If you want to talk, I'm here, bud."

Sander nodded. "Thanks."

Andy left and Barron entered noticing Sander's stress lines showing. "Dude, you're stressed out again."

"Our house is being repossessed."

Barron halted on his way to the bathroom and turned to face Sander. "But..."

"We haven't paid the bills in four months, Baz." Sander sighed, shaking his head.

"I thought we had it going good, though. This album's going to sell-"

"We have to downsize. Rent an apartment but when we come back home from camp, we won't be living there."

Barron paced, his hands laced through his hair. "I can get my mom and stepdad to start moving things for us and put it in a storage box until we come back."

"I've called my mom and dad, they say we can stay with them until we find somewhere but that has to be quick."

"Shit!"

Sander nodded. "'Shit' indeed. Maybe we should turn in our diplomas. I've got a degree in business, shouldn't be hard to find a job..."

"Sand!" Barron yelled. "We're not giving up on our dreams to be good rappers. We've got the skills and the charisma. You doing business and me doing culinary won't make us happy."

"Maybe our parents were right. This was so not a secure future."

"If all of our friends made it, why can't we?"

Sander shook his head, "Because we aren't serious! Remember that music video we shot a few months back? We blew out the budget and our agent quit."

"Then we get Nate to help us."

"He can't... His upcoming tour already has an opening act. His brother's new band that are really good and popular right now. He won't help a couple of sell-outs."

"Nate's our friend. He could help us get a new agent and manage us."

Sander shrugged. "Maybe. But I seriously hope this isn't our last chance."

...

Lola sat beside Peggy and gave her a soft smile.

"You've been quiet."

Peggy's eyes widened a little. "Sorry?"

"You've been quiet. Are you out of your honeymoon stage with Baz?"

Peggy returned the smile. "No... Just letting everything settle in, you know?"

Lola nodded. "Yeah... I'm going to pick up someone from England soon so I think this is the calm before the storm."

"Yeah..."

"Is everything all right, Peggy? I know we're not close but-"

"My grandmother died."

Lola gasped. "I'm so sorry!"

"We were really close and all and she got sick around the time I fell out with Tess and Ella. When I went on tour with Mitchie, I got a call that she didn't have long left so I went back home to Philadelphia. She died just before I came to camp."

Lola brought Peggy in for a hug, rubbing her back. "I'm so sorry... If you need anyone, I'm here. Always."

"Thank you, Lola. I wanted to tell everyone but I just needed a break because I can't stand my parents being so upset and heartbroken. My dad loved his mother and she took in my mom when she got pregnant with my brother when they were seventeen. They were really tight and it breaks my heart being around that."

"I lost my nana when I was all the way in England. I regret not spending her final moments with her."

"I'm sorry," Peggy whispered, offering her own shoulder for her to lean on. "Let's cry together," she joked, making Lola laugh through her tears.

...

Shane rummaged through Nate's things, looking for a spare shirt to wear.

"White? So 2009..." Shane mumbled, throwing the shirt back in. "Grey?" He frowned. "How about any long sleeves?"

He spotted a CD case and picked it up.

' _Caitlyn's Proposal Mixtape'_

"What the...?" Shane muttered, putting the CD into his laptop. "Nate's proposing?"

There was a selection of good romantic songs but one stood out by a singer he knew his brother adored.

"This is so... Caitlyn and Nate."

 ** _Our love was strong as a lion_**  
 ** _Soft as the cotton you lie in_**  
 ** _Times we got hot like an iron_**  
 ** _You and I_**

 ** _Our hearts had never been broken_**  
 ** _We were so innocent darling_**  
 ** _We used to talk 'til the morning_**  
 ** _You and I_**

 ** _We had the mixtape on every weekend_**  
 ** _Had it repeating, had it repeating_**

 ** _You were my September song, summer lasted too long_**  
 ** _Time moves so_** slowly, ** _when you're only fifteen_**  
 ** _You were my September song, tell me where have you gone?_**  
 ** _Do you remember me, we were only fifteen_**

 ** _And I, I remember the chorus, they were singing it for us_**  
 ** _You were my September song, tell me where have you gone?_**  
 ** _Do you remember me, we were only fifteen_**

 ** _Sometimes I think that I see her_**  
 ** _Face in the strangest of places_**  
 ** _Down on the underground station_**  
 ** _Passing by_**

 ** _I get a mild sense of danger_**  
 ** _Feel like my heart couldn't take it_**  
 ** _'Cause if we met we'd be strangers_**  
 ** _You and I_**

Still ** _I play that mixtape every weekend_**  
 ** _Got it repeating, got it repeating_**

 ** _You were my September Song summer lasted too long_**  
 ** _Ooh, time moves so slowly (so slowly) when you're only fifteen_**  
 ** _You were my September song, tell me where have you gone?_**  
 ** _Do you remember me, we were only fifteen_**

 ** _And I, I remember the chorus, they were singing it for us_**  
 ** _I hear that September Song and I'm singing along_**  
 ** _Thinking 'bout you and me, oh what a melody_**

 ** _And as the years go by, you will still be mine_**  
 ** _Be my (September song)_**

 ** _You are my (September song)_**

 ** _You were my September Song summer lasted too long_**  
 ** _Time moves so slowly when you're only fifteen_**  
 ** _You were my September song, tell me where have you gone?_**  
 ** _Do you remember me, we were only fifteen_**

 ** _And I, I remember the chorus, they were singing it for us_**  
 ** _You were my September Song_**  
 ** _I remember the chorus, they were singing it for us_**

"He really does love her..."

And forcing him to run away and start a new life with him made him feel guilty. Nate and Jason shouldn't have to be the ones to pick up the pieces. He knew what he had to do.

He had to start making things better for them.


	27. Confused Feelings

Shane's smile faltered when he heard Antonio say those words.

"Sorry?"

"You're close to Mitchie and since I don't have much guy friends... I was hoping you will be my Best Man."

Shane narrowed his eyes, sipping his coffee slowly as he tried to work out this Spanish man's deal. "You do realise that me being close to Mitchie was because we were together, right?"

"Yes, I know that. I also know that my engagement to her won't be threatened by you."

"How?"

"Because Mitchie loves me and I highly doubt that she'd still love a junkie like you."

The middle Gray child scoffed, standing up and starting to head out of the Mess Hall.

"The answer's no, Delgado. I was going to do it as a favour for Mitchie but you're just unbearable. I'm happy that Mitchie's happy but you don't have to please her by including me in your cloud 9 bubble. I'm not going to be at your wedding."

Antonio followed him, gripping onto his elbow tightly. "You are coming to the wedding, one way or another and you are going to be happy for Mitchie. Happy that she's finally moving on from a lowlife like you whose life means nothing. You will see me and Mitchie have our first kiss as husband and wife and you are going to smile. She's so fucking perfect, she deserves the best and not you."

Shane pulled his arm back forcefully and dumped his cup of coffee all over Antonio before chucking the cup away. "Never and I mean _never_ threaten me or speak to me like that again. Stay out my way and I'll stay out of yours. And guess what, you can't force me to go to a wedding that will never happen."

With that, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked off, leaving Antonio seething with anger and confused.

...

One thing that Peggy hated when they were teenagers was the tendency to get in the middle of Tess and Ella's problems.

"Ella? Why didn't you sleep in your bed last night?"

Ella looked up - a faraway look in her eyes. "Oh, I needed some space."

"Tess was upset. Kept asking for you."

The brunette scoffed, placing her head in her hands. "I'm upset with her too."

"What did you have? A big argument about who's a better model or fashion designer than the other?" Peggy joked.

Ella shook her head. "I'm just sick of the lies. The secrets."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Peggy stumbled. "What lies and secrets?"

"Peggy... You'd never keep anything from me, would you? Anything of great significance?" Ella asked almost timidly and childlike.

Peggy sighed, taking her best friend's hand in hers. "Sometimes, I'd have to if it meant protecting you or anyone else. Let me tell you something. This is the only secret that I'm keeping and it kind of made us drift apart from each other."

"What is it?" Ella sniffled.

"I'm grieving. My grandmother died just before camp started."

Ella gasped, immediately throwing her arms around her best friend. "That's why you were so quiet and reserved! I'm so sorry, Tess and I should have noticed and not picked fights with you. We also shouldn't have kicked you out."

Peggy brushed it off, glad that she had her friends back. At least one of them for the moment. "It's fine. I had Mitchie's tour take my mind off of things because singing was my passion, my safe place to go to in my mind. I didn't want to burden you or Tess with my problems so I left willingly. I'd never replace you guys with Mitchie and Caitlyn or even Mara. You're my soul sisters."

"You're my soul sister too..." Ella whispered. "Since we're back to being close and all... I have my own thing to tell you but you must promise me not to judge or tell anyone."

"I won't judge you, Ells or tell anyone," Peggy assured her, giving her a short hug for good measure.

Ella sighed, picking at her nails as she mumbled quietly, "I had an abortion,"

Peggy's eyes widened but softened immediately as she brought her friend in for another hug. "I'm here if you want to talk about it."

"I do but not now. Tess was really upset when I told her last night because she found the papers and then found out..."

"I'm not here to judge you, Ella. I know you had your reasons."

Ella nodded. "I did. But Tess hates me and honestly... I can't be around her either."

"Well, let's give it time and see where we go from there, okay? I love you."

"Love you too, Pegs." Ella sighed, tightening their hug.

...

Jason's eyes widened. "What are you doing back so soon?"

Nate shook his head. "As soon as we got to the airport, I get a call from dad..."

"What? What did he say?"

"Granddad's dying, Jason. And one of us has to inherit his estate. Preferably, you or me."

Jason's eyes widened even more as he sat back down. "What about the girls and Steve? Did they get off okay?"

"Yeah, Steve's pal is picking them up from the airport back in Honolulu. I couldn't go with them because we have to discuss this. With Shane because... he's being cut out of the will."

"Why?" The eldest Gray child asked. "Granddad loves Shane!"

"Well after his little drug stunt, Granddad thought differently about his Golden Grandchild..." Nate mumbled.

Jason shook his head, suddenly deciding that his cold coffee wasn't all that appealing anymore. "Nate... Forget Granddad for a while and be there for your girlfriend. She needs you and you run straight back here because of a little news?"

"About our family, Jase."

"And Cait's not your family? Not the woman you want to marry?"

Nate frowned. "What do you mean? I don't want to marry Caitlyn..." he replied cautiously. "Who told you that?"

Jason raised a sceptical eyebrow. "Shane told me. He found a CD labelled with 'proposal' on it."

The younger brother started to laugh. "Jase! I'm not ready for that commitment, yet! I don't think Caity is either. It's a joke between me and her. We put together our favourite songs and she joked that if I was to propose, I should play them so she was prepared to say 'no' as a joke. Jesus, you two need to keep out of my things."

"But you guys are so perfect!"

"Like you and Mara?" Nate smirked, crossing his arms. "Caity and I have discussed this. We're not even that intimate or experienced in our relationship. Heck, it's only been less than two weeks!"

The older brother nodded, accepting his answer. "What about going back there and showing her that you support her at least? Regardless of whether or not you two had a joke proposal."

"Yeah, I'm catching a flight this evening once I've spoken to Brown about stuff. Caitlyn's spending a week instead because it's the anniversary of Jesse's death."

"Oh... Shane told me about that and introduced me to Lana, his fiancée. He seemed like a great guy from what they say although Shane's never met him."

Nate nodded, sadly. "He was. He was Cait's everything before he died and she went into depression after. I know I have to be there for her but... sometimes, I don't recognise the man I'm becoming."

"Is the man you're becoming a good thing or a bad thing?"

"I don't know. I honestly don't want to set myself or Caity up for heartbreak. We've been best friends for over ten years and what if our romantic relationship ruins that? What if I ruin that? We can't ever fix ourselves otherwise we'd be like Shane and Mitchie, arguing every damn minute."

"You have to realise that we're all different and not the same, Nate."

Nate rolled his eyes but nodded nonetheless. "I still kind of feel like I'm not just tied to one girl. I get texts from girls that I've hooked up with in the past and I can't bring myself to admit that I'm taken now. I feel as if my relationship is too good to be true."

"That's because you and Caitlyn are forgetting the emotional stuff and are running straight to the physical stuff. Sex doesn't make things great, talking does. You both need physical love right now that you're trying to force that into emotional love and that is wrong. You have to talk and figure out what's really best for the both of you. Also, you have to will yourself into not cheating on the best thing that life has ever given you. She adores you, you adore her so forget about sex for now because I know you, Nate. You're a womaniser and when Cait truly sees you for that, it will ruin things. Just give her the hardcore emotional stuff and she'll be by your side as you will be by hers."

"Damn, Jase..." Nate mumbled, wiping his tears. "Thanks for making me feel like shit."

Jason chuckled, hugging his brother. "You're welcome, little bro." He patted his back for good measure. "Now, get back to that airport. We'll sort out our family issues when you get back - in a week with Caitlyn."

Nate smiled, blushing as he grabbed his bag and left. His girl was waiting for him.


	28. Unexpected Help

**This chapter focuses on Dana, Nat and Lana, even though they are not exactly major characters in this story. I may even explore Andy in a future chapter but for now, people associated with the main characters would have to do for now. Enjoy :)**

* * *

Nat smirked, bouncing Kelly on her lap as she noticed Dana smile a little, blushing down at her phone.

"Who are you texting? Your guy friend?" Nat teased, allowing the toddler in her arms to grip onto her cropped hair.

Dana gave an innocent smile, putting her phone away. "Why do you want to know?"

"I don't but I'm intrigued..." Nat shrugged.

The brunette raised an eyebrow, getting up from Lola's bed as she collected her bag. "You'll know soon enough. He's coming to camp as a temporary dance instructor since Caitlyn's gone for the week."

"Ah, so the mystery will be solved today?"

"Yep." Dana grinned. "I can't wait to see him. We had issues years back so I'm glad we got over them to start a new relationship. Brayden's not too keen."

Nat shrugged. "I doubt Nate will not be keen, too. But he's away too so he'll never know."

"Exactly. Not many people like him, well, the ones who had the pleasure of meeting him."

"Seems dangerous to bring him in an unwanted territory but, oh well. You gotta go. Your piano class starts in five and this little girl needs to find her daddy who's off for the afternoon."

Dana chuckled, already out the door. "Bye!"

...

Lana fingered the necklace around her neck, biting her lip as she watched the still lake be lit up by the sunlight.

"Hey, you alright?"

She jumped, facing her intruder. She had not seen him around before.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking. Just thinking about how serene this looks right now."

The guy nodded, sitting beside her and rolling his sleeves up. "I agree."

Lana gave him a small smile. "Yeah,"

"So... What's the story about that necklace?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Sorry. A dangerous topic?"

"No, not at all. Just a sad, open can of worms one." Lana replied, bringing her knees to her chest to prevent further notice of her necklace.

"It's pretty. The moon and star thing is really outdated, though."

"Hmm," Lana mumbled quietly. "Well, it was given to me a long time ago."

The guy shifted uncomfortably on the deck, before leaning back on his hands. "You new here?"

"Yep. Guest speaker but I've decided to make it a holiday and cover for some people."

"You're that famous singer, Lana Keegan?"

"The one and only. Look, if you're trying to hit me up-"

"No! I have a girlfriend!" The guy exclaimed, raising his hands in defence. "Sorry, you just looked like you needed someone to talk to."

Lana frowned. "Well, I don't. I'm fine."

"I see that, now." The guy sighed. "Well, I'm here to cover some dance lessons."

"Good for you," Lana nodded. "Look, I gotta go."

She stood up and waved to the guy before heading off to find someone _close_ to talk to.

...

Lola smiled brightly at Nat, making the other female uncomfortable.

"What?"

"I know you have a crush on someone!"

Nat blinked twice. "How did you know that?" She sighed.

Lola smirked, holding up Nat's 'Beats Book'. "I was looking for some inspiration for my next rap, hoping to hire you and I found some love hearts with 'N&C' in it."

Nat chuckled, taking her book back. "That's stands for 'Nate and Cait'! And Caitlyn wrote that because she was feeling hot and bothered."

"Ah." Lola nodded. "Well, do you have anyone in mind?"

Nat shrugged. "Not really. But I'll tell you a secret."

"What?" Lola leant in closer.

"I don't mind what gender they are, as long as they can satisfy me, I'm good."

Lola's eyes widened as she gasped. "You're bisexual?!"

"Yep," Nat shrugged. "Have been for four years now. Haven't really told anyone but I've never had a reason to. I don't get many dates locked away in the studio."

"I gotta find you, someone! Maybe we can hang out after camp?"

Nat laughed. "Well, if you say so. Don't get any catfish, though. Had my fair share hence, my locking away in the studio."

Lola grinned madly. "Well, don't worry. I know _lots_ of people!"

...

Shane looked up with a soft smile. "Lana, how are you?"

"Fine. I need someone to talk to, can I talk to you?"

Shane checked his watch before looking up and nodding. "I got fifteen minutes before my next cover class. What's up?"

Lana's lips trembled as she fingered her necklace. "It's... It's nearly the anniversary of Jesse's death and I keep thinking about that time when I nearly got..."

Her friend gasped, taking her in his arms. "Hey, shh... It's all right. I'm sorry Caitlyn's not here."

Lana sighed. "I miss him. I miss my babe."

Shane pushed her back gently, forcing her to look at him. "If you want, I could book you a flight to Hawaii right now. Or to Ohio to stay with Jesse's mom."

Lana smiled. "I'd like to be with their mom. Caitlyn's gone to the trial on her behalf because she has the kids to look after so I could go out there and help. Take my mind off of things. Plus, Melissa's really nice when Caitlyn's not calling her a bitch." She chuckled lightly.

"Okay, good. I'll book you a flight after my class, yeah? I know that if Cait was here, she'd be here for you as you'd be there for her."

"Thank you." Lana smiled, accepting his hug. "There's this weird new guy around."

"Oh?" Shane asked as they broke the hug. "What does he look like?"

"Tall, dark with a cool sense of style. But extremely nosey and chatty."

Shane chuckled. "I will look out for him. It's probably a cover instructor."

"Yeah, he said." Lana nodded. "So, I'll catch up with you later on the flight?"

"Yeah, see ya." Shane smiled.

...

Dana blushed, feeling hands cover her eyes as she grinned.

"Hey you," she said, placing her hands on top of the hands over her eyes. "I was waiting ages for you."

"Sorry, I took so long. How's Brayden?"

Dana smiled, taking the hands off her eyes as she turned around in the guy's arms. "He's fine. And you're all right."

"I just wanted to be sure that he'd gone, you know? He came back and I think he forgot something. He's gone now."

The brunette sighed, casting her gaze down. "I don't want us to be a secret... He's going to find out sometime. How come he can get a girlfriend but I can't have a boyfriend?"

"Guys get protective when their kids are involved. I'm sure he'll be fine later."

"I hope you're right..." Dana mumbled, snuggling into his chest and inhaling his scent. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too... I can't wait to spend the remainder of summer with you."

Dana chuckled. "Neither can I. I've got so much things planned for us both to do. Although this week, we'll be busy with finalising Final Jam performances and covering for people. I can't believe it's already nearly the end of summer..."

"Same. But we can always try and find time to spend together. I have this dance gig coming up."

Dana narrowed her eyes. "Let me guess, Nate's tour?"

"He didn't choose the male dancers, his agent did."

"Why?" Dana frowned, leaning back.

The guy smiled. "Who really cares what their male dancers look like? It's the ladies that people pay attention to. Plus, I know my counterpart, Macy Jane Darcy."

"How do you know this? Nate's barely got the tour set up, let alone organised?" Dana asked suspiciously.

"Your dad knows a few people. Managed to get me an interview and a dance performance."

Dana pulled back. "Quit the tour. I don't know what you're up to but stop. Nate is Brayden's father and you're going to make things worse for us."

"I'm not up to anything, Danes... I promise not to make things worse. I just want that job because it can be good for us. You can finally move out of that studio apartment and get something with me."

"How much do you think a dancer earns? Or a piano tutor?" Dana scoffed.

"Not much but... I'm sure Nate can help."

Dana glared at him. "What do you mean?"

"I'm thinking we can blackmail him."

Dana shook her head, scoffing. "Oh, no. You're not blackmailing my son's father, _Luke Williams_."


	29. Devious Minds

"Hey, Lana," Shane smiled, handing her an envelope. "I got Dee to print out your flight details. You leave in two and a half hours."

Lana gave him a tight hug before releasing him and looking through the information. "Thank you. I'm sure Melissa will be happy to see me."

"Well, you have a great time there. I'm sorry this camp didn't help."

"Oh, it did. Just when Cait was here. She's the only thing I have that reminds me of Jesse. I just have to be with her and support her because she is still family, no matter if Jesse and I ran out of time to get married," Lana smiled nervously. "I have to go and pack and probably eat something."

Shane nodded. "Yeah, you should. Look after yourself, yeah? Music can't always help but people can."

Lana smiled. "You're a great guy, Shane. No matter what people say or think about you."

She placed a short kiss on his cheek and left his cabin, heading towards the Mess Hall.

Shane decided to take a walk, find some bars so he could check on Mitchie, regarding Caitlyn's state since he wasn't sure if Nate was with them all the time.

He had his phone out as he headed to Brown's office, smiling at a text his sister sent him about what her new pet bird did. Jason would be interested.

Shane felt himself collide with someone before being bounced back onto the ground.

"Oh, damn. Sorry, man." The guy offered his hand out.

Shane frowned, picking his phone up before taking the hand and being pulled up. He checked his phone for any damages before looking up and glaring at the guy.

"What the-? _Luke Williams_? What are you doing here, you jerk?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "I'm a temp. Dancing."

"Does my uncle know you're here?"

Luke raised his hands up. "Knows? Dude, he called personally for me to cover Little Miss Dancer's classes."

Shane almost growled at Luke's smirk. "She has a name and it's Caitlyn. She still is a better dancer than you."

"Not going to argue with you on that. Girl's talented and has a fine piece of ass on-" He was cut short by a punch to the face.

"That's my friend you're talking about," Shane hissed. "And she's taken."

"Who by?" Luke grinned, spitting a little blood out. "You?"

"No, but someone I know. Stay out of my way otherwise, you'd be out of here quicker than you can say 'Camp Star'."

Luke narrowed his eyes. "Screw you."

"Everyone knows you guys cheated so by default Camp Rock won. Just know who's the better one here."

With that, Shane continued on his way, leaving Luke angrier than before.

...

Jason met with the rest of the gang in the Mess Hall, seeing Shane's unimpressed face.

"Why is Luke Williams here?" Shane asked.

"Well, he is taking over Caitlyn's classes for the week," Sander replied.

Shane turned to him. "Why couldn't you take them on or merge your classes?"

"Because that would mess up the schedules like hell. Sometimes the classes that we have clashing start and end at different times." Sander said, leaning back slightly. "Barron couldn't take them on because he's helping with the Freestyle classes since Caitlyn's not here _and_ Mara isn't here."

Jason pursed his lips. "How about we get Lana to help?"

"No," Shane sighed. "She's flying out tonight. It's something personal."

Jason nodded. "Uh, Nat? What can you do?"

"Music producing, like I am but I'm also covering Caitlyn's classes for that. I could take over some Freestyle classes, though." Nat replied.

Lola raised her hand. "I can take Caitlyn's dance classes. I only have rap classes but I've seen our schedules, nothing overlaps. I can take over from that dimwit, Luke."

"Thank you." Shane smiled. "You two are a big help. I'm already covering Nate's classes except for his guitar but Jason has that covered. Any takers for piano?"

Peggy smiled, raising her hand. "No clashes with me."

"Or me," Dana said as well.

"Perfect. And Andy has all things drums so I guess we're sorted. It's going to be busy final weeks but we can do it."

Barron nodded. "So is this meeting done? I gotta help some students with their stuff."

"Oh, yeah. Meeting adjourned." Shane clapped his hands. "See you guys later."

As everyone dispersed, Dana made her way over to the two Gray brothers.

"Hey,"

"Hey, Dana. What's up?" Jason asked.

She bit her lip before opening her mouth up to reply. "I have to say something."

Shane turned to face Jason before turning back to Dana. "What is it?"

"Luke and I... Well, we're sort of together..." Dana winced. "I know we all have a bad past but I really like him and so does Braydie... He's going to be gone before Nate comes back so there won't be any arguments there."

"Why him?" Shane scowled.

Dana shrugged. "Why not him?" She retorted. "He makes me happy and it annoys me that Nate can have someone but I can't. I'm just his kid's mom, I'm not his keeper."

"If-" Jason glared at Shane in case he opened his mouth to say something spiteful. "If he makes you happy then that's fine. As long as he doesn't hurt Brayden, we're cool with it but you have to tell Nate before we do."

"Thank you. This means a lot as you guys are Brayden's uncles. I'll see you guys later."

As Dana exited the Hall, Shane turned to face Jason with a glare. "She does realised that we _all_ have bad beef with Williams, right?"

Jason rolled his eyes. "If he makes her happy then there's nothing we can do about it. It's not like she and Nate are together."

"But we really like Caitlyn."

"Does it matter who we like and don't like?" Jason asked, scoldingly. "All that matters is they accept Brayden and that he's a big part to his parents lives, no matter who they're with. Nate's just lucky that his girlfriend is someone we all approve of and someone who hasn't tried to sabotage our camp into going bankrupt."

Shane tilted his head. "My point exactly - he tried to sabotage us!"

" _We_ can't do anything but maybe the girls can..." Jason tried, raising an eyebrow.

Shane's frown slowly became a smirk. "Oh, you are one devious man, Jason."


	30. Team Switching

**Sorry, there may be some grammar mistakes because this was done in a rush to get it out for you :) Sorry for taking so long! x**

* * *

A week later and three days until Final Jam, Caitlyn found herself heading to meet Dana in her cabin.

"Hey,"

Dana looked up with a smile before giving a quick wave and continuing to close her suitcase.

"Brayden and I are leaving tomorrow. Going to make the most of our summer left..."

"Speaking of the rest of your summer... Jason told me you're going out with Luke Williams. Look, I have no say in your life - I'm just Nate's girlfriend but are you sure? I mean, guys like him only care about themselves."

"You're right but I really like him. We connected when my dad signed him to sing with a band he's managing. We just... clicked."

Caitlyn frowned, sitting on the bed and facing her. "Wow, sounds good... Nate and I didn't 'click'. Sure there were sparks but no straight out connection."

"It will come. I've known Luke for years, even before Camp Star and we never clicked until now. You will connect." Dana assured her. "Can you help me with Brayden's suitcase? I begged him not to take his toys but it seems as if my father let him do so anyway."

Chuckling, Caitlyn arose and sat on the case, allowing Dana to struggle to zip it closed. "I'll bounce on it."

"Thanks," Dana mumbled, tugging on the zip.

There was a knock on the door and Mitchie entered, giggling at the sight. "Nate says you and Brayden are leaving tomorrow."

Tugging the suitcase closed, Dana stumbled back before nodding and breathing a sigh of relief. "Thanks Caitlyn and yes, we are. Tomorrow morning."

"Shame, we've really enjoyed Brayden's energetic wake up calls. He calls me 'Aunt Mitchie', now." Mitchie smiled softly, taking a glance at Caitlyn.

Caitlyn bit her lip. "Dana, don't go because of Luke..."

"He's a real piece of work, you're better off with us - your friends." Mitchie added, folding her arms.

Dana sighed, repeating Mitchie's actions. "I would like to find that out myself. For now, I'm in a good place."

"Fine, but-"

"Dana, let's talk about the fact that you let _Luke Williams_ near _my son_!"

...

Jason paced. "Should we have told Nate? Oh, he's going to argue with her isn't he?"

"Hey... chill. We did the right thing," Shane grinned. "Dana deserves better."

"But Nate has no say in her life just like she has no say in his." Jason stated. "Look, I'm not one for ruining relationships for my own personal gain. What _do_ you even get out of this?"

Shane shrugged. "Nothing, really. Just keeping that annoying guy out of our way. You never know what he's plotting and up to."

Jason shook his head. "Well, when this all falls down, it will be on you."

"I'm surprisingly fine with that," Shane smirked before grinning. "I gotta go. Why don't you go and be loved up with your wife?"

"My wife... sounds so weird even though I'm technically still married to another." Jason replied. "I don't know. Maybe we're not meant for each other. At this moment in time, Mara's more like a rebound than my _wife_."

Shane frowned. "Wendy doesn't count. Your marriage should be annulled. Mara's real. She's the absolute real deal. No backsies here."

"I'll leave backsies for you and Nate. Honestly? I don't see him and Caitlyn lasting. She's... delicate and he's so... harsh. And you and Mitchie? Let her go, man. Let her marry Antonio because he can make her happy and you will destroy her," Jason sat down, shaking his head. "We're poison, Shane. Can't you see it? You have just made our brother make his ex-girlfriend break up with her new boyfriend just because he doesn't like him. This same brother cheated on the girl he last had a relationship with for _years_ with a _cougar_. You... you make Mitchie cry and then she's all sad and depressed whenever it comes to you."

"Jason... Where's all of this coming from?" Shane swallowed deeply. "We're poison?" He scoffed. "We're _human_."

Jason tutted. "If being human is making songs about sleeping around and kissing strangers then I don't want a part in that."

Shane gritted his teeth before taking a deep breath. "Jase, I love you and we've recently just gotten back to talking to each other again. If you leave me again, I'll never speak to you. Ever."

"Shane? I'm done. I'm done with you and Nate messing up innocent girls' lives. What did they do to deserve men like you? When you've stopped acting like a child, maybe we can speak again. I don't think I want to be here anymore... Mara, Kelly and I are leaving tomorrow, too." With that, Jason stood up and left.

Shane eyed his suitcase and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. His hands soon found another addiction. Vodka.

...

"You have no say in my love life, Nate! Nor my life for that matter!" Dana yelled.

"But when it comes to my son and his protection, I do!" Nate yelled back. "Luke Williams of all people!"

Caitlyn looked down, pushing Nate towards the door. "Calm down, Nate. Yelling won't help nothing."

"Stay out of this, Caitlyn. You don't understand."

Caitlyn scoffed. "You know what, Nate? Let her be with him! It's her decision and choice! As long as he doesn't hurt Brayden then it's _fine_!"

Nate glared at Caitlyn. "Did you forget what he did to my uncle."

"That was Axl Turner!" Mitchie sighed, coming to Dana's defense. "Luke was just a pawn in his game. We all were..."

"And Dana doesn't complain about you and me being together. So, why do you have to ruin what she has with someone she likes. We have no say and as long as your son together is your main priorities and not your relationships, everything is fine." Caitlyn said, calmly.

Nate shook his head. "Maybe she doesn't have to complain about us. But I do. If you're not on my side, then you're against me and on _his_. That makes you and me," he pointed at her before himself. "Over."

Caitlyn scoffed. "What, now? You're dumping me because I told you that your _ex-_ girlfriend can date someone you've barely even associated yourself with. You're so childish. And this is over some stupid camp war!"

"Which ended us! We're lucky to have found the money to restart this place again! Camp was where we were made, my childhood and he could have ended that for Brayden-"

"Who didn't even exist back then." Mitchie raised an eyebrow.

"Not just Brayden. All and any kids of ours. Of everyone's. Camp made their parents, shouldn't they have the chance to experience what we did?"

Caitlyn shook her head. "It wasn't just Luke. It was also Dana who you're on good terms with because of your son."

"Nate... If I had gone to you, bashing all the girls you've ever been with, even just for sex, do you think I'd still be letting you talk to our son?" Dana whispered. "Why can't you let me have Luke? I let you have Olivia, Sasha, Kate and all of those other girls but you can't let me have the one guy I've been with since you?"

Caitlyn bit her lip. "Don't worry, Dana. I'm done with him, too." She sighed and left, wiping her tears as Mitchie and Dana shared a glance before turning to find Nate closing his eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah well, you've just gone and destroyed the one thing who was willing to put all that crap behind her." Dana glared at him.


	31. Fixing the Burning Bridges

"I'm an idiot."

"You must certainly are."

Nate looked over, putting his hand out. "Give me some. Although I shouldn't be encouraging you, I really need a drink right now."

Shane smirked, handing over the bottle of vodka and watching his brother gulp some down. "Slow down."

"I can handle my drinking more than you can."

"Hmm, sure you can."

Shane stood up, heading over to his suitcase. He retrieved another bottle, shaking it in front of his brother's face before joining him on the floor, leaning his back on the bed.

"I shouldn't be encouraging you." Shane mocked, sipping from his bottle. "Seriously though, you're an idiot."

Nate scoffed. "Tell me something I don't know, bro."

"Caitlyn worships you?"

"She doesn't. She's her own person." Nate replied, shaking his head. "I worship her."

Shane smirk widened. "So _she's_ the one who wears the pants in the relationship, huh?"

"Speak for yourself. Mitchie wears it in your relationship. You really thought that she'd run after you?"

"She did once upon a time."

"Before you screwed up?"

"Yep."

"Huh. Well, thank God dad doesn't worship women otherwise he'd stuck with Mom and eventually screw her over too."

"She dodged a bullet there."

"Indeed."

...

Jason sighed, rolling his eyes. "As much as I love the two of you, I can't help you."

Mitchie pouted, crossing her arms. "They're your brothers."

"Your idiot brothers..." Caitlyn muttered darkly. "I've done nothing but be a perfect little supportive girlfriend and he thinks I don't respect our relationship? I guess it was too good to be true. Pining over an idiot results in bitter heartbreak."

Jason hugged Caitlyn tightly, stroking her hair before doing the same with Mitchie. "I had an argument with Shane about this. He thinks he can have things his way and get away with it when they go wrong but life doesn't work that way. That day in Paris, Mitchie, he had two choices. Propose or not to. He chose not to, you guys split up and look at you now. Caitlyn, the day he got with Dana, Nate also had two choices. To let her go or to let you go. He chose to let you go and look at you now. He used you the year after and he used you now. After my brothers left you two for the first time, you got on with life, found other people and became successful. Everywhere you go, people know you as you and not Shane or Nate's girlfriends. You two made something of yourselves, you don't need a Gray to love you and make you better. They ruined you. So, tell me why I would help the two of you to make one of the biggest mistakes of your lives and get them back?"

"Because we know we love them?" Mitchie whispered. "I broke it off with Antonio. I want Shane and I'm sure that I do."

Jason turned to Caitlyn. "And you?"

"Call us inseparable if you want," she mumbled, rolling her eyes. "He can be a jerk but we're good together."

He finally nodded and Mara smiled, kissing his cheek. "You're their only hope, Jase." She said.

"I know I am."

"Well, I guess we better go and find them," Jason mumbled.

When they arrived at Nate and Shane's joint cabin, they found them packing.

"Where are you going?" Jason asked.

"Home. We told Uncle Brown that we needed a break from this break." Shane replied, shrugging.

"But we need someone to judge the Final Jam."

Shane scoffed, giving Nate a look before turning to their older brother again. "Now you care. Especially since you, your wife and your daughter are leaving too. Also, isn't there other celebrities to parade around. Just because we're alumni doesn't mean we should be in every showcase. You forget neither of us attended this place in a long time. Actually, that's wrong. I did. I was the only one whilst you and Nate went off and did your own stuff."

"I'm sorry about that." Jason sighed.

"Me too," Nate added. "But once we're building the bridges, we seem to break them again. We're poison to each other."

"And to the girls. Whom have done nothing but worship the ground you both walk on." Jason said.

Shane and Nate both shared a glance before turning to face Mitchie and Caitlyn.

"Forgive us?"

Mitchie and Caitlyn shared a nonchalant glance. "If you make it up to us."

Nate took Caitlyn's hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles before lifting her chin up. "Would this..." He started, getting down on one knee. "Make it up to you?"

"A spontaneous engagement?" Caitlyn questioned. "Maybe. If there was a ring."

Nate looked down at his right hand where his old purity ring laid. He'd never disposed of it. Tended to take it around like a good luck charm. Lately, he had taken to putting it on his right ring finger to show his loyalty and fidelity to Caitlyn.

"Like this?" He asked, slipping it off and holding it up to her.

Mitchie and Mara shared nudges, grinning as they smiled at Shane and Jason.

"Y-Your purity ring? But you're not...-"

"I started wearing it again for you. You're my beginning, my middle and end. You're in my past, my present and hopefully my future. You are my start and end all-"

Caitlyn burst out in laughter. "Okay, you're getting way too sappy for me. Just propose already. Please? Before I sleep?"

Nate playfully rolled his eyes. "Will you marry me?"

"I've waited twelve years for those words and it sends shivers down my spine since the day is actually here now." She whispered. "Yes. Yes, I'll marry you. I'll be the first woman to ever make you question your masculinity." She smirked, slipping the ring on before pulling him up for a kiss.

"Hmm," he said against her lips. "In your dreams."

...

"Lola?"

Lola turned around, giving Sander a small smile. "Yeah?"

"Why don't you get your son now? He can be here in time for Final Jam and you guys can move in with me?"

She licked her lips, offering a guilty smile. "We decided to make things work-"

Sander shook his head. "You didn't... Lola! This is abuse! Are you getting back together with him? What about our plans?"

"Wishful thinking. Look, I love you, Sander but we can't be together. I'm sorry."

Lola kissed his cheek before leaving him standing in the middle of the camp, heartbroken.

A few yards away, Peggy was a mediator for Tess and Ella.

"I've brought you both here because you need to solve your differences. Yes, Tess lied about her anorexia and yes, Ella, you kept your abortion a secret but you girls are sisters. Or as good as. It was the three of us, making it together but now look at us."

"Ella, an abortion is too much!" Tess whispered. "An innocent child! Life!"

Ella let a few tears fall. "You think I don't know that? I'm not ready."

"We would have done it together. With Peggy!"

Peggy allowed herself to nod. "That's true." She admitted. "But Tess, you've got to understand that this was difficult for Ella. Ella is not ready and neither are we, to be honest."

"Even Lola has a child! And he was unexpected!" Tess argued gently. "Everyone else is getting married and settling down, when will that happen for us? I want us to be happy, Ells..."

"But I am happy now. I'm a fashion designer and model. I'm happy."

Tess shook her head, allowing her own tears to fall. "I'm not happy."

"Why?"

"Because I hate myself." Tess shrugged. "I hate my face, my body, my voice. My personality finally improved after seventeen years of being a spoiled brat. I'm not happy."

Ella took her hand. "So, my child would have made you happy?"

Tess nodded sadly. "I want to quit modelling. I want to find someone to love me. To settle down with. Your child would have helped me."

"We really need to start talking to each other more..." Ella chuckled lightly. "Maybe if you found someone, you'd love yourself?"

"I can't. I'm not a good person."

Peggy took her other hand. "But you are now. And now, you can learn to love yourself. We'll be with you every step of the way."

"Will I be sent to the hospital?"

Peggy and Ella shared a glance. "We're hoping it never comes to that."

And back in Nate's cabin, he had his vlog camera set up and Caitlyn by his side. Sharing a smile, he turned the camera on and took a deep breath.

"Hey, guys. This video is a little different. I'm ready to introduce the love of my life to you guys and tell you guys how I met her and how our love came to be. Guys... I'm engaged. I'm getting married."


	32. This Is Our Summer

It was finally the end of summer which meant that it was Final Jam.

Caitlyn was glad that her niece and nephew had decided to participate in the contest which was being judged by Dee, Nat Fox, Peggy Dupree who had the pleasure of announcing that she was a previous winner and what an honour it was to be on the other side of things and finally, Barron who had decided to take Shane's place in judging.

"...And the winner is...!" Brown's voice echoed through the hall. "Cassie Joan 'CJ' Valentine!"

The young brunette girl ran her hands through her hair as she came onto the stage in shock.

"Now, time for CJ to sing her original song again... Here's CJ Valentine singing 'When Hope Rises'."

Behind the stage, the rest of the gang clapped, wolf-whistling as the seventeen-year-old nervously sang her song again, slowly becoming more confident and happier.

"She couldn't have won without our help," Mitchie nudged Caitlyn's shoulder.

After Final Jam had ended, Mitchie, Mara and Caitlyn joined the guys in Nate's cabin.

"Hey, fiancée."

Caitlyn grinned, quickly placing a kiss on Nate's lips. "Hi, fiancé."

"Okay, we get it." Shane rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless.

"So, summer's finally over..." Mitchie said, wrapping her arms around Caitlyn's shoulders as they watched _their_ guys pack. "Back to our busy schedules and year-long break.-

Shane glanced up, giving her a soft smile. "It doesn't have to be over just yet, Mitch. Canoe ride?"

Mitchie's eyes brightened up. "Thought you'd never ask..." She grinned, taking his hand and leading him out.

Caitlyn suddenly felt a bit colder, a bit sadder. "We went and got engaged yet we never even stopped to think what would come after. You said that by October, you'd move closer to me but that doesn't change the fact that you're touring the UK the day after tomorrow. When were you going to tell me?"

Nate sighed, shrugging. "I didn't want you to worry. It... It's until December."

"Four months?" Caitlyn whispered, shocked.

"Why don't you come with me? Just like you're coming with me for my next tour in the rest of Europe from February to March."

Caitlyn shook her head. "I can't. I have a job. _Two_ jobs. Mitchie... she may be taking a break but I have other artists to produce for. I am in quite a demand since they've found out that Mitchie's out of the picture for a short while."

"That's great, Caity. You're following your dream... What about singing? An album?"

Caitlyn smiled softly. "I'd save that for YouTube and OSTs. I'm not really a singer. I've always been the behind the scenes kind of girl. A backup dancer... Singing doesn't fit in my career choice as a full-time thing. It also fits in with my plan to hang out with Mitchie anyway."

"So... We're stuck?"

Caitlyn sat down, patting the space beside her and waited until he joined her. "Just a little break, babe. We're not breaking up... We're just not going to be in the same room for a while. We've handled six years, what's a little more?"

"Don't joke about that. Those years were hell. Not knowing who I was waking up next to. Being a complete ass. Breaking ties with my family..." He took a deep breath as tears threatened to fall.

"Please don't cry. You'd set me off."

"I hated myself, Caitlyn."

Caitlyn blinked her tears away as she leant her chin on his shoulder, raising a hand to play with his ear. "Do you hate yourself now?"

"A little..."

"Why?"

"Because I hurt you."

She shrugged. "I hurt you too."

"Not as much as I did."

She chuckled. "No, I guess not. But you shouldn't hate yourself because right now, you're living the dream. A hot and sexy fiancée by your side, a dream job, two dogs..."

A smiled grew on his face as he turned it to kiss her nose. "Who says you're hot and sexy?"

She feigned a gasp, hitting him lightly as he quickly flipped her onto the bed, placing kisses down her neck. "You've got to pack."

"Shane's busy so he won't come back anytime soon..." He ignored her. "What do you say? Old time's sake."

Caitlyn looked up at his brown eyes, sparkling with adoration and joy. "Take me." She whispered.

...

Lola quickened her pace, jogging after him.

"Sander, please."

He stopped, turning around to shake his head. "You've made your choice, Lola. This relationship stays professional, I get it. Now, you can feature on mine and Barron's next album-"

"Shut up..." She breathed out, kissing him. "I'm done with him. I'm done with Louis. I want you and LJ."

Sander was shocked but he placed a longing kiss on her lips and smiled.

"Are you sure?"

Lola nodded. "So sure that when you refused to talk to me, I secretly went back to London and..." She stepped to the side with a large grin. "Sander, meet my son LJ, baby meet Sander."

The little child toddled up to Sander and raised his arms up. "Up!"

Sander's mouth widened in awe as he bent down to carry the small child in his arms.

"He likes you."

"I like him too." Sander took his tiny hand and stroked it. "So, you're both staying here?"

Lola nodded. "My parents, they moved to Salt Lake a couple of months ago so I'll get LJ settled there before I come to LA."

"Or... you guys don't have to be split up. I can move to Salt Lake City."

Lola beamed. "But what about the music?"

"We'll still make music from SLC, won't we?" He asked the small child who grinned up at him. "You guys are my future now and if that means moving across the country for you, I will."


	33. New Pastures Green

"There he is," Sander called out, nudging Barron to follow him as they made their way over to Nate who was getting into his car with his PA.

Barron got there first just before the door closed. "Hey, man. Can we talk for a minute?"

Nate smiled, "Sure. What's up?" He asked, getting out of the car.

"We need help. With our music. We have no agent and well, we're becoming irrelevant by the minute. We used to be on top of our game but ever since our old agent screwed us over... We're losing everything." Barron sighed.

Sander nodded. "We've just lost our home, we're out the minute we go there today and pack our stuff. Music used to be about enjoying it but now it's our life, what we do for a living and we're going broke because of it. We're not asking you to feature in our music if you don't want, we just need help finding another agent who won't abandon us at our peak."

Nate sighed, leaning against the door as he thought about it. "What label are you signed onto?"

"Our former agent made our label drop us." Sander rolled his eyes. "Gave some terrible lie that we did drugs with the CEO's daughter."

"We have never even met the girl. It wasn't us." Barron added.

Biting his lip, Nate watched Caitlyn walk by with Mitchie as they got into their limo, not before sending a loving smile and a wave at him. He waved back at her and turned to Barron and Sander. "I'm going to pull some strings. Where are you off to now? You guys can hitch a ride with me and Leon. You can also stay at mine for the night or so. I'm moving out so it may be a bit of a war zone but it's... home for now."

Sander turned to Barron who nodded. "We'll cancel our cab."

"Leon? Can you go and help my friends with their stuff? I'll be right back." Nate clapped Sander on the shoulder as he ran to keep up with the moving limo. It halted and Caitlyn rolled the window down.

"Hey."

"Hey. I just wanted to say 'bye' to you girls."

Mitchie raised an eyebrow, grinning at Nat who shrugged back. "Loverboy, we have somewhere to be," Nat told him.

Nate raised his hands in defence. "I know." He smirked. "I just wanted my fiancée to know that I love her and will see her very soon. With a real engagement ring, I hope."

Caitlyn smiled, reaching out to take his hand and kiss it. "Have fun on tour, Nate." Her smile disappeared as she sighed. "See you later."

"It's not goodbye, babe."

"I know. I love you, Nate."

He didn't know why it still shocked him or sent shivers down his spine but he kind of loved hearing that. He hadn't had a stable relationship in ages and hearing the love of his life tell him she loved him, it made everything worth it. It made being apart for a little while worth it.

"Love you too, Beautiful." He whispered as the window went back up and the limo drove away.

...

Shane watched as Jason and Mara loaded up Jason's car with their luggage and Dana's and Brayden's.

"You're staying?"

"You do remember that I kind of live here, right?" Shane chuckled, waving at Kelly as she grinned back and waved from her car seat.

Jason nodded. "Yeah, forgot about that."

"So, you're taking Dana and Brayden home?" The two had stayed a little bit longer to see the winner of Final Jam and to also see Nate off too.

"Yeah, their apartment's close to mine so I thought why not? It's been nice making up, Shane. I'd hate to go another four years without talking."

Shane smiled. "Surely it wasn't four years?"

"Oh yeah, that was Nate." They both laughed before hugging each other tightly. "Have you said bye to him?"

"We did all that last night so it's you and me now big bro."

Jason rolled his eyes playfully. "Haven't heard that one in a while."

"You need to hear it more, old man."

"Now, that's too far!"

Mara slipped her arm around Jason's waist and smiled at Shane. "Nice getting to know you again, Shane."

Shane nodded, hugging her. "You too, Mara. It's been real."

"Sure has."

"Look after bird brain, will you?" Shane asked, lightly punching Jason's shoulder.

Jason smiled, clapping him on the shoulder back. "Why don't you come back home to LA? Where all of us are?"

Shane swallowed deeply. "I moved here for a reason, Jase."

"But surely you can handle things a lot better, hmm? And you're touring with Nate next year with your new band so... come on."

"I haven't got a place to-"

"Mom will be ecstatic to have you back home."

Shane glanced down, shaking his head. "Not her new husband though. Thinks I'll influence his fourteen-year-old daughter. I'm good, Jase. Uncle Brown and I have a good thing running here."

Mara raised an eyebrow. "You could stay with us for a little while. Until you get back on your feet. Come on, right Jasey?"

Jason grinned. "Right. How about it, Shane?"

Shane blushed but smiled. "Yeah, let's go for it."


End file.
